An Ice Age of Drama
by IceAgeRox23
Summary: A new adventure with the herd, encountering new and old friends and foes
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **This is my first fanfic, so it may not be as good as the ones that are up already. Oh well, enjoy.**

The early-morning sun rose above the horizon, bathing the forest in light. In outlined a frozen waterfall, and some burrows, out of which faint snoring could be heard. Finally, it reached a clearing with a cave at one end, and slowly moved across the grass, and shone through the cave entrance. Inside the cave, there slept The Herd. The Herd had been to Dinotopia, and had survived floods and earthquakes, all the while gaining new members. Ellie the mammoth and Crash and Eddie the possums had joined while escaping a flood. Peaches, Ellie's daughter, had been born in Dinotopia, a land beneath their world where dinosaurs still dwelled. Shira, one of the sabre tooth tigers, had joined when The Herd was escaping from pirates. The other members were Diego the sabre tooth tiger, Sid the sloth and his Granny, and Manny the mammoth.

Peaches was the first to wake. She looked around, made sure that Manny and Ellie was asleep, then crept out of the cave. Just as she reached the edge of the clearing, a voice sounded from behind her. "Where do you think you're going, young lady?" It was, of course, Manny. Peaches sighed. Shira was watching, but wisely decided not to intervene. Diego and Sid were asleep, and Ellie was still dozing, but listening. "Just going to see Louis," said Peaches, knowing what Manny's response would be. "Really?" he asked. "I think that you're going to the new Teen Hangout." Peaches sighed. Ellie sighed. Shira sighed, not really knowing what was happening, but she could tell that it had happened before. Diego snored, rolled over, and sighed. Sid sighed in his sleep. The wind sighed in the trees. Basically, everything sighed. Manny heard all the sighs, and couldn't help it; he sighed. "What?" asked Peaches, looking into the trees. "Nothing. Everything just sighed." Manny explained, looking back at the cave. Ellie quickly pretended to be asleep. Shira was watching them, looking from Peaches to Manny. Just then, a mound of dirt exited the forest, bouncing from rock to root and back again. It circled around the two mammoths twice, and then stopped. A molehog popped out of the ground. It wasn't Louis, however; it was Louis's brother Larry. "Louis is waiting at the Teen Hangout," he said, before diving back into the ground and burrowing sighed. Manny looked triumphant. Ellie sighed. Shira rolled her eyes. Diego awoke. Sid rolled over. "Just a normal day," muttered Peaches. Another dirt mound shot out of the forest. It narrowly avoided the rocks and roots, and stopped in the middle of the clearing. Another molehog popped up; Louis. Manny sighed, knowing that he was beaten; Peaches would go with Louis no matter what he said. Just then, a shout of "PRECIOUS!" came from the cave. Manny looked around, and Peaches took the opportunity to swing off into the forest. Manny turned back and groaned. So did the trees as Peaches swung through them. Ellie sighed. Diego rolled his eyes. Manny turned back. "Don't say a word," he said to the onlookers. Diego and Shira turned and went off to hunt. Ellie went off to look for plants to replenish their food supply. Sid kept on sleeping, and Crash and Eddie had been gone before dawn, doing who-knew-what.

The Teen Hangout was crowded. Not only were there the usually mammoths (Ethan, Steffie, Katie, Megan), and the other animals, but there were also molehogs. Larry was doing some hard-core tricks, going off the biggest jumps and burrowing into the ground when he landed. Louis and Peaches were standing at one of the medium slides, waiting for their turn. Ahead of them, was an unfamiliar molehog. After he went down, it was Peaches's turn. She backed up, then ran forward. Louis watched her go down. When she went off the jump, she went in front of the sun, and seemed, in Louis's eyes, to hang there for ages. The sun outlined her in brilliant light. "Beautiful," muttered Louis dreamily. He had liked Peaches as more than a friend for years, and decided to tell her. Later.

 **Well, that's chapter 1 done! Reviews are wanted! Things that are included in the future chapters are; a plot twist, a journey, father/daughter drama, another bigger journey, and an animal that thinks it is something else.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **Chapter 2 will be mostly uneventful, apart from the flashback.**

The sun started sinking below the horizon. It was one of those late-summer evenings where everybody just wanted to relax. All the animals, even the insects, lazed around. Louis sat under a bush, picking petals off a flower. He was doing the old "Loves Me, Loves Me Not," thing. On every finish, he had gotten "Loves Me Not." He had gone through nearly all the flowers around him, and the ground was covered in petals. He sighed. "Will I ever tell Peaches?" he asked himself, watching the sun sink lower in the sky. The Herd lived only a couple of hundred metres away, and they passed by here frequently, so he had a chance. And that chance was coming; footsteps were coming this way. He took a breath, and waited. Crash and Eddie walked past, covered in mud from mud fights. They were planning pranks to play on the other members of the Herd, and also animals that they'd seen today. The pranks were going to include lotus berries, spiders, snakes, and spitballs. Louis rolled his eyes; were the possums ever going to get sensible? Diego padded past soon after, dragging a gazelle. Shira followed, keeping an eye out for scavengers. Finally, Peaches emerged from the trees. Unfortunately for Louis, she was with Ethan and Steffie. They were talking about the pirate attack during the continental drift. Louis remembered it well, even though it was several months ago.

 _Flashback_

 _The animals crowded around their shrinking platform, staring at the rock wall as it inched closer. Mist rolled around them. Larry tried burrowing under the wall, but couldn't, and only just made it out. Louis knew he should see if Peaches was all right, but his brain was divided. One side said that he should, but the other said that he shouldn't because, not even two hours ago, Peaches had just told the Brat Pack that they weren't friends. That might have been just to fit in, but he wasn't sure. Suddenly, the icy plateau that they were on was pushed off the land and into the water, with all the animals clinging on for dear life. From the mist, came a massive iceberg. "DAD!" shouted Peaches, staring at the iceberg's passengers, who were just blurry figures through the mist. A massive figure appeared on the edge, looking down at the animals. "Ahoy down there!" it said, not Manny, but someone else. "You seem to be in a bit of trouble!" the figure added, swinging down to the platform, revealing itself to be a monkey. "Anyway, I'll rescue you if anybody here knows who Manny is." "Dad?" asked Peaches. "You know dad?" The monkey's gaze flitted from the ice berg, to Peaches, and back to the ice berg. "Come aboard, then!" it said, but its voice had changed. It sounded deeper. "You!" it added, pointing at Ellie. "You too!" Both mammoths looked up at the berg, and a tree trunk crashed down, forming a walkway. They both walked up. "Okay," said the monkey, following them. "Now, crew, TIE THEM UP!" Everyone on the plateau gasped. Louis heard a struggle above, but couldn't see anything. Suddenly, the rock wall advanced again, pushing the two pillars of rock into the ocean. From out in the fog, a call echoed. "Was that Manny?" asked Larry, looking out into the mist. The call came again. Peaches answered it. "I think so," said Louis. A shape appeared deeper in the fog. It looked like another berg. The shout came again, distinctly Manny's voice. Peaches ran to the back of the boat, the ape laughing and slowly following. "Welcome home, daddy!" The ape said fiercely as the other berg came up, Manny, Diego, Sid, and Sid's granny on board. Manny climbed onto the ape's berg, and then was tied up. Suddenly, a wacko thought came to Louis; pick a fight with the ape. He crept on board, as did Crash and Eddie. "Stop!" he shouted, and everyone turned. "Let. The Mammoth. Go!" "Weiner?" asked Manny in surprise, and Louis rolled his eyes. "What's he doing?" asked Ethan from the plateau. "He;s gonna get himself killed!" Larry screamed out, No, Louis! Don't be a fool with your life!' "It's okay!" Louis called out. "I can handle him!" The ape stared at him. "How cute! A hero!" it said. "Gupta. Give the lad your weapon." A badger pulled out a knife, said, "Nice knowing you, kid!" and threw the knife, where it landed point down in the ice in front of Louis. He put his hand on the handle, and pulled. Nothing happened. He tried again, and again, before turning and trying to push it. The ape and other animals started laughing. But they soon stopped when Louis raised the knife. He tried to swing it, but the weight dragged him around. The animals stared, their eyes watching the knife. Then, Louis let go of the knife, and it arced through the air. While the animals' eyes were on the knife, Louis burrowed into the ice. He burrowed in tight curves, before bursting out of the ice and slamming a chunk of ice right onto the ape's foot. With a roar of pain, it released Peaches, and she and Louis ran._

The clearing of a throat brought Louis back to the present. Several metres away, Manny had emerged from the trees, and was standing in front of Peaches, Ethan, and Steffie. "If you think those encounters were scary," he said. "Come to Herd Night in a few days and hear our encounters!" Ethan and Steffie looked surprised; usually Herd Night was for The Herd only and a few close friends, like Louis. "Sure," said Ethan. Steffie nodded. "And if you see Wei- ah, I mean, Louis, tell him he's invited to," Manny added. Louis noticed that Manny had almost called him Weiner, which nobody had called him since the pirate attack. Suddenly, he had an idea; he would tell Peaches his feelings for her at Herd Night. First, though, he had to think of what he would say.

 **And that's chapter 2 done. Louis has decided when he'll tell Peaches, but a lot can happen in a few days…**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **Chapter 3 will have Louis's plans for after Herd Night, and some possum pranks.**

It was the next day. Louis was in a secret hiding spot he'd found in the rock formation of the hyrax on the cliff overlooking the bay. Down in the bay, Louis could see Precious, guarding the island from pirates, should they return. What he would do after Herd Night, he didn't know. He sighed, and looked towards the horizon. A large cloud bank was building, promising one of those huge summer storms that had been rare this summer. Suddenly, Louis had an idea; a group of mammoths from another valley up north was coming to play turtle-hockey, and Ethan's gang was versing them. He decided to invite Peaches to see it with him.

Meanwhile, at the Teen Hangout, Ethan and his gang was training for the big game. Peaches, Manny, and Diego were watching. "So," said Diego to Manny. "Do you think they'll win this game?" Manny wasn't listening; he was thinking about the pirates again, if they were still alive. And, if they were still alive, would they attack again. Diego sighed, and waved a paw in front of Manny's face. "Huh?" asked Manny, glancing around to see Diego looking at him. "I said," Diego repeated. "Do you think they'll win this game?' Manny looked at the players. "Probably," he answered, before realising that Peaches had gone. Diego noticed too. "Just like before the drift," he muttered, without Manny hearing. "Ethan's gone as well!" Manny said, getting to his feet. "I'd better go find them." Diego sighed; this would probably turn into another argument that happened just before the drift. So, he decided, he would go along as well, and stop the argument before it developed. "I'll track them for you," he said aloud. "Good thinking, uber-tracker," said Manny. "Lead the way."

Meanwhile, Peaches and Ethan were walking through the forest, talking about the drift. For Ethan, the entire drift had been dramatic, even just before it; Peaches had come flying off one of the waterfalls, and he didn't have time to dodge. Suddenly, Crash and Eddie popped out of a clump of bushes ahead, laughing. "A prank probably gone right," said Ethan, watching them. "Have they ever pranked you?" asked Peaches. Ethan thought, then shook his head. "Then maybe they didn't prank someone already, but are laughing because a subject of their pranking is going to walk into a trap!" said Peaches, turning around to walk down another path that they'd seen earlier. She came face to face with Manny. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, while behind him Diego sighed, knowing that this would turn into the argument. Ethan rolled his eyes. "Seriously?" asked Peaches. "That's all you could come up with?" Deeper in the forest, Ellie was watching the exchange. She was going to intervene when it gone to the level that it had got to just before the drift. Diego was waiting for that as well. Crash and Eddie were expecting the ground to cave in and separate everyone all over again. "Aren't you supposed to be training for the game?" Manny asked Ethan. "Brandon has taken over from me. I've decided not to play this year," explained Ethan. "Wait, what?" asked Peaches, who clearly didn't know. "I'm thinking of leaving the valley," explained Ethan. Ellie, out of sight, blinked in shock. Nobody had ever left the valley; this was where animals spent their whole lives. Peaches felt the same. "Does Steffie know?" she asked. "Well, I'm planning to announce it at Herd Night," said Ethan. "Right," said Manny, walking past them. "Let's prepare for Herd Night tomorrow." As Manny walked ahead on the path, he trod on a vine stretching across it. There was a rustle of leaves, and then, above him, a parcel of leaves opened, releasing mud, snake-skins, spider-shells, berry juice, seaweed, and slimy, dead fish all over him. Peaches, Ethan, and Diego burst out laughing; they couldn't help it. Even Ellie had to stop herself from chuckling. Crash and Eddie were in hysterics. Manny was speechless. He took a step back, and just happened to trigger another parcel. This time, everyone laughed, including Ellie. Manny swiped some mud from his eyes, and turned to Ellie. "Talk to them!" he said, pointing at the possums. Ellie walked up to them, and said, "That was brilliant!" Manny sighed; it seemed that his power as leader was weakening. "We have many more than that!" said Crash, jumping out of the bushes. "They cover the valley!" added Eddie, jumping out behind him. Ellie looked surprised, so it was Diego who asked, "How did you get so many up?" Before the possums could answer, several hyraxes appeared from the trees, carrying vines, clumps of mud, and berries."All of the hyraxes help us," said Crash. Diego nodded, just as a terrible smell drifted through the forest. Sid and Granny came walking past, dead fish piled high in their arms. "Sid?" exclaimed Manny in surprise. "You're helping them?" "Of course he is!" said Ellie. "In fact, I think that I'm going to help them as well!" Manny stared at them all. "You go look for Louis and tell him when Herd Night is," said Ellie to Peaches. She vanished further into the forest, off the path. Eddie chuckled. But there was no trap triggered. The rest of the Herd wandered off to to whatever they wanted.

 **Chapter 3; done! A plot twist is coming up soon, so be prepared! There will also soon be a two journeys, and a couple of new characters.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **Also known as the plot twist chapter. Warning; may contain nuts.**

It was a couple of hours later. Manny was sitting in a pond, trying to get clean. The mud had dried, and had made his fur stick up in all directions. Everyone that he'd seen had joked that it suited him. As he splashed water over his back, he saw some peanut plants growing around the edges of the pond. Most animals didn't like them, but the herd was an exception. He picked some, then headed for their cave. The sun was high in the sky, but the breeze was cool. That was a sign of autumn. Either that, or a summer storm was on its way. He hoped there wasn't; that would mean everything would be too wet for the Herd Night campfire. "Will Sid do the Lord of the Flames thing?" he asked himself, remembering the first time he'd done that, when they were bringing the human baby back to its family. That had, for a while, been the most popular story at Herd Night. Then, the drift had happened. Stories about that had been dominating stories ever since. Everyone was wondering what the next big thing would be, and when it would happen. Ellie and Diego thought it would be a new generation's adventure. Sid thought the same thing, but also thought that the new generation would go on the same adventures that they went on. Manny wondered if the time for adventures had come to an end. Of course, it probably hadn't, but nobody could be sure. Most animals suspected the pirates would return, something that Manny **definitely** didn't want. Captain Gutt would probably ignore all the other animals and go straight for him. Gutt could be dead, but Manny suspected he wasn't. Finally, he reached their home, and saw that the clearing now doubled as Crash and Eddie's prank-making place, with piles of stuff lying everywhere.

Crash, Eddie and their hyrax friends Harry, Huck, and Gash were busy marking out some prank spots. They had already made some surrounding the Teen Hangout, and also near the shore, where the teens also hung out. "Where next?" asked Huck, placing the last spider shell in the leaf wrap. This one was smellier than usual, since rotten fish had been placed in it. "Maybe above our clearing!" said Eddie. "Peaches might actually trigger one for once!" "Why are we even trying to prank Peaches?" asked Gash, hanging upside down from a branch above the possum brothers. "We've pranked the other herd members loads, but Peaches, we've only pranked three or four times," said Eddie. "And," added Crash. "Those times were before the drift." The hyraxes nodded, then quieted down as Diego walked past below. The possums had learned long ago not to prank him, and they'd taught the hyraxes not to as well. And anyway, he might be helping them to prank other animals. "Have we pranked Louis yet?" asked Huck, after thinking of all the animals that they'd already pranked. "I think so," said Crash. "Or else I'm thinking about Larry." The two possums thought for a moment, before saying at the same time, "Yep, it was Larry." The hyraxes said, "Then let's prepare one for Louis!" They darted away into the trees, vanishing in seconds. Crash and Eddie looked at each other, then followed.

Meanwhile, Peaches and Louis were walking down a path towards the beach. Peaches was telling Louis about the earlier pranks by the possums and hyraxes. Louis looked up at the trees, expecting to see a patch of leaves tightly woven together, but couldn't. If they were up there, they were hidden well. And if the vines that triggered them were there, they were hidden amongst the leaf-litter. Hyraxes perched on the trees around, watching them. Louis watched them, wondering if they were preparing to prank them. Crash and Eddie had formed a pranking alliance with them when they'd got here, and by now, everyone had been pranked at least once. The hyraxes vanished suddenly, disappearing into the trees as suddenly as they had appeared. Were they preparing a surprise attack? Were they going somewhere else? He wondered if they were planning to prank any of the Herd today. They'd already pranked Manny, and he wondered who was next. As he thought about this, he became aware of a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. It wasn't hunger; he'd remembered to eat. Instead, it was his mind telling him to confess his love for Peaches. He decided to do it right now. "Peaches," he said. She turned around. Louis opened his mouth to say it, but before he could get the words out, a hawk swooped down and carried him away.

 **And there we have it! The plot twist that changes everything! Next chapter will contain characters from other movies/books, plus a song or two.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **This chapter will mostly contain characters from other movies/books.**

"LOUIS!"

Peahes's scream tore through the forest. It rose up through the air and around the world. As it travelled into the upper atmosphere, it interacted with rifts in time and space, travelling into other universes.

The first universe it burst out in was a 45th century Mars. Cities covered the continents, and small oceans filled the spaces between them. The cry hurtled towards the city-kingdom of Roargan. Everyone who heard it shivered, but kept on doing whatever they were doing before. Nothing supernatural happened until the cry reached a bus stop, where the Warrior Cats were waiting. Brackenfur, Firestar, Graystripe, Thornclaw, Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Dustpelt, and Brightheart were journeyers, along with their human friend Algy. Brackenfur was a singing superstar, able to sing in any voice in any language. The tunes of the songs were stored in a stereo thing carried by Firestar or pulled in a trailer at all times. As they waited for the bus, a cry of "LOUIS!" split the air around them. The cats and Algy shivered, staring around. "What in the universe was that?!" asked Algy in surprise, not really expecting an answer. "Sounds really familiar for some reason," muttered Dustpelt, opening his backpack of movies and looking through them. Suddenly, he disappeared. The other cats and Algy stumbled back in shock. In quick succession, the rest of the cats vanished until Algy was left at the bus stop with just a backpack full of movies and several claw-rings.

The cats awoke on a sunny beach near a forest of pines and oaks. Although the sun was high in the sky, the air was cold and patches of snow dotted the ground around the trees. "Where are we?" asked Brackenfur, staring around in wonder. "The ice age," answered Dustpelt slowly. "Oh, sure, sure," said Brackenfur sarcastically. "Just because there's snow everywhere on a summer's day, you think it's the ice age! Anyway, what are you looking at?" "That!" said Dustpelt, moving aside and pointing down the beach. There, rushing up the beach to the forest, was a mammoth. "Oh my gosh!" said Sandstorm. "An actual mammoth! Either we're at a secret scientist place, or the actual ice age!" "Well," said Brackenfur. "Either way, this ice age thing is getting me into the mood for a song! Firestar, track sixteen version three!" Firestar pushed levers and knobs on the stereo while making beatboxing sounds, and Brackenfur grabbed his microphone and started to sing.

Whoa, oh, oh

Whoa, oh, oh

Whoa, oh, oh

Whoa

I'm waking up to ice and snow

I wipe my brow and I sweat my frost

I'm breathing in the freezing air

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out the migrating herds

This is it, the ice age

Whoa oh

It's really cold, I feel it in my bones

Enough to make my blood freeze up

Welcome to the ice age, to the ice age

Welcome to the new age, to the ice age

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, We're in the ice age, in the ice age

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, We're in the ice age, in the ice age

I raise my hands and grab my jumper

It's a snow storm, I suppose

We're covered white to fit right in

Whoa oh

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out the migrating herds

This is it, the ice age

Whoa oh

It's really cold, I feel it in my bones

Enough to make my blood freeze up

Welcome to the ice age, to the ice age

Welcome to the new age, to the new age

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, We're in the ice age, in the ice age

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, We're in the ice age, in the ice age,

All animals go, no one has died

Deep in the forest, straight from the past

It's really cold, I feel it in my bones

Enough to make my blood freeze up

Welcome to the ice age, to the ice age

Welcome to the ice age, to the ice age

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, We're in the ice age, in the ice age

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, We're in the ice age, in the ice age

Meanwhile, as the cats congratulated Brackenfur on an awesome song, the cry smashed through the walls of another dimension. This one was like Earth, but had superheroes and villains. In New York, a huge battle was taking place. Huge explosions tore through the streets, heroes and villains battling for supremacy. Tacky, one of the heroes, zipped through a burnt out building in an attempt to lose Nuka, one of the villains. "Tacky!" called out Iron Man's voice from nearby, and Tacky turned towards it. Iron Man was fighting Iron Dynamo, and was winning. "Yo, Iron Man!" he called, swooping in to land on a balcony. "I'm here!" Before Iron Man could say anything, a blistering cry of "LOUIS!" sounded everywhere. Iron Man, Tacky, and Iron Dynamo flinched. Iron Dynamo, however, was the first recovered. He pulled back his fist, wreathed in white-hot flames, and prepared to punch Tacky. Just as his hand approached, Tacky vanished. The momentum carried Iron Dynamo forwards off the balcony. Iron Man, momentarily confused by the vanishing of Tacky, laughed. However, Iron Dynamo didn't fall and die. Instead, he vanished as well. Iron Man was suddenly seized by a cold colder than anything he'd experienced before, and New York darkened around him. The two heroes and villain soon awoke on the same beach that the Warrior Cats had awoken on.

Tony the hawk flew west, the molehog clutched in his talons. He was laughing with delight at this find. "I can't believe it!" he squawked, rolling in midair. "I have a molehog!" He was so happy, he began singing a joyful song.

 _Molehogs are good to eat_

They are a special treat

Rats and mice taste just fine

But molehogs are simply divine

The molehog in his claws went limp. Tony gasped, and looked. Luckily, it had only fainted. "Phew!" he said with relief. "That's lucky! The molehog could have died, and my surprise ruined!" And with that, Tony flew towards the horizon.

 **And Chapter 5 is done! Massive action, and we're only halfway to Chapter 10! And, the action is NOT going to stop any time soon! Be prepared for much, much more!**

 **Note; Brackenfur's song,** _ **"In the Ice Age,"**_ **was a parody of "** _ **Radioactive,"**_ **by Imagine Dragons.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **Louis has been taken, and new characters introduced. They may or may not play an important role in the fanfiction.**

Manny, Ellie, Diego, and Larry were the first to respond to the cry of "LOUIS!" They found Peaches sitting on the path, tears streaming down her face. "What happened?" asked Manny, leading the group. "Louis!" Peaches sobbed. "A hawk took him!" Larry looked like he'd been punched in the face. He staggered back, and would have fallen if Diego hadn't caught him. "A hawk?!" gasped Ellie. "Yes!" sobbed Peaches. "We have to go after him!" Manny and Ellie looked at each other. Eventually, Manny said, "The hawk is probably miles away by now, so-" "NO!" Peaches said, suddenly angry. "You just don't wanna go 'cause you never actually **liked** Louis! No, wait! I know why you don't want to go on another journey! You're **scared** of all the dangers that might not even be on this journey!" Peaches turned, and stormed off into the forest. "Wait, sweetie, that's not what I meant!" called Manny, but Peaches didn't listen. "Let her be," said Ellie, walking back down the path with Diego. "I guess we'll have to be the bringers of bad news," Diego sighed. "Yep," muttered Ellie. Manny watched them go, thinking.

Meanwhile, in a grove of fruit trees, Ethan and Shira were chatting about Shira's old life as a pirate. They had started talking about the cry of "LOUIS!" before Ethan had changed the subject. "So," said Ethan, after a lengthy story about Shira meeting the herd adrift in the sea (which Shira had exaggerated parts of). "I'd better go start some evening training for the big hockey game in a few days." "Okay then," said Shira, getting to her feet. "I'll be off to help Diego with some of the Herd Night decorations." As Shira hurried through the forest towards the herd's cave, she felt a sharp twinge in her belly. "Must have been that gazelle we ate yesterday," she muttered, though she wasn't sure. She shrugged, then continued running.

Ethan, meanwhile, walked through the forest towards the Teen Hangout. He was thinking about where he would go when he left the valley. As he passed a grove of willows, he thought he heard the sound of sobbing. He listened, and heard it again. It appeared to be coming from inside the willow grove. He started walking towards the grove, hearing it clearly this time. Ethan moved some low-hanging willow branches, and found himself in a clearing, willow branches forming a low roof overhead. In the centre of the clearing, Peaches was sitting, crying. "Peaches?' he asked, concerned. "What's wrong?" She looked up, sniffing. "It's Louis!" she sobbed. "He was taken by a hawk!" Ethan's eyes widened. He walked over and sat beside Peaches. "Did you ask your dad to go rescue him?" he asked gently. "Yes, I did!" Peaches said, wiping her eyes. "But he said no!" Peaches began crying again, and Ethan leaned against her, offering comfort. "If he dies," sobbed Peaches "I'll never forgive myself!" "It's not your fault" said Ethan. "Okay then, who's fault is it?!" asked Peaches. That, Ethan could not answer, so he said nothing. He just sat beside Peaches, resting his trunk on hers. "Remember when Manny was lost at sea?" he eventually asked gently. "He made it back, just like Louis will, I'm sure of it." "You mean it?" Peaches asked, wiping her eyes. "Of course I do," Ethan replied. She rested her head on Ethan's shoulder, closing her eyes. Ethan looked up at the patches of sky through the willow branches, thinking. _*Was it just a random food-snatch?*_ he wondered. _*Or something bigger?*_ For a moment, he thought about something or someone that created and controlled the world and everything in it, but if that was true, whatever did it would be really cruel. "So," he said to Peaches, breaking out of his thoughts. "You want me to walk you home, or are you fine to go by yourself?" She looked at him, her eyelashes still beaded with tears. "I'll walk you home," he decided, knowing that it was what she wanted. Peaches got up, and headed out of the willow grove, Ethan next to her, pelts brushing. A few minutes later, they arrived at the Herd's clearing. "Wow," said Ethan, looking around. "The hyraxes and your possum uncles have really set up a lot of pranks!" "True, we have!" whispered a voice in a nearby bush. Gash the hyrax peeked out, glanced around the clearing, then darted out of hiding, grabbed a large clump of mud, and ducked back into hiding. Ethan looked at Peaches, bemused. Crash and Eddie followed, then paused when they saw Ethan with Peaches. Their eyes flitted around the clearing, at ground level. "So, Huck was telling the truth," murmured Eddie. "He **is** gone." Ethan knew exactly what, or rather who, he was talking about. "Hey, Huck!" called Crash."You were right!" "Of course I was right!" came Huck's voice. "I mean, it's hard not to be right when you saw it happen!" Huck appeared from a clump of bushes. He was grinning, but his face fell when he saw the two mammoths. "Um," he stammered. "I just remembered something I have to do elsewhere." He darted back into the forest."Keep it down out there!" came a voice from the cave. "You might scare Precious away!" Peaches rolled her eyes. Ethan chuckled. "Granny's still going on about that whale, eh?" Ethan remarked. Suddenly, the bushes rustled nearby, and Shira walked out, her eyes full of sorrow. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, brushing against Peaches's flank on her way past. Peaches sniffled, and Ethan pressed gently against her. "If you want," he said. "You can spend the night with me, just until all this fuss dies down." "Actually, she'll be staying right here," said Manny's voice. He emerged from the cave, Ellie, Sid, and Diego beside him. "Anyway," he added. "Don't you have hockey training to do?" Ethan looked at Manny. "Is it just me," he said. "Or are you trying to keep me away from your daughter?" Manny looked back at Ethan, not answering. "I'll take that as a yes then," Ethan eventually said with a sigh. He turned to Peaches, and said, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." Peaches nodded sadly, then edged closer and embraced him. His eyes went wide, but he leaned in, accepting the embrace. Peaches smelled a bit like roses, which just happened to be Ethan's favourite flower. "Well, this is hawkward," Sid's voice said. Over Peaches's shoulder, Ethan saw Manny flick Sid in the head with his trunk. He rolled his eyes; that was Sid's failed attempt at humour. "Stay strong," he whispered to Peaches, stepping back. She nodded, then turned and walked into the cave, curling up at the back. Ethan turned and, with a glance back, started walking back towards the Teen Hangout.

Later that night, Peaches opened her eyes. Her other family members were pressed up close around her. Slowly and quietly, she got up and carefully made her way to the entrance. The full moon bathed everything in a soft blue light. Halfway over the clearing, she looked back. The cave blurred in her vision, but she blinked away the tears. "Stay strong!" she told herself. "You don't see Ethan crying, do you?" She took a deep breath, then walked into the forest. She knew where she was going; the hawk had flown west. Peaches didn't know how she would find the hawk. Maybe she would ask other animals to see if anyone had seen a hawk carrying a molehog. Up ahead, she head voices coming her way, so she ducked into the shadow of two trees that leaned against each other. "Can you believe what happened today?" asked one voice, sounding . "No, I can't," said another voice."Poor little guy," said the first voice. "I hope the mammoth's okay." Peaches had heard enough. Trying hard to keep her emotions under control, she left the path behind and walked through the forest until she reached the top of a hill that overlooked the land beyond the valley. Just before she left the valley behind, the sound of footfalls sounded behind her. She sighed, turned around, and to her surprise, saw Ethan walking towards her. "Wait, you're coming with me?" she asked, not really believing it. "Of course!" said Ethan. "You didn't think you'd be in this alone, did you?" Peaches didn't know what to say. Together, the two mammoths headed down the hill and into unknown lands, journeying together

Meanwhile, the Warrior Cats, along with Tacky, Iron Man, Iron Dynamo and John Horticus, who had come from a futuristic Boston under attack from mutant creatures, were clearing out a cave between two fallen trees. "So," said Tacky. "We appear to have been brought back in time the ice age, right?" Firestar nodded. "Wow," muttered John. "And I thought mutant creatures attacking Boston was strange!" Iron Dynamo stood up with a snort, taking off his armoured helmet. Iron Man had already discarded his super-suit, but Iron Dynamo didn't want to. "Well," he said. "Our superhero lives were much crazier than that!" "Tell us," said Cloudtail. Iron Dynamo stepped out into the moonlight, and then was covered in a flow of mud, dead fish, berry juice, and other stuff that came from the tree tops. Everyone else stared. "Oh great!" he shouted. "It's in my suit! The mud is actually in my suit!" Tacky burst out laughing. "That's why you should have taken it off!" he said. "Fine then!" Iron Dynamo said angrily. "I'll do it!" The super-suit fell away, and this time, everyone started laughing; beneath the suit, Iron Dynamo was wearing a pink shirt with _"Peace. Love. Sunshine."_ written on it. "I knew every bad guy had a soft side!" Sandstorm said, chuckling. Iron Dynamo fixed everyone with a glare, but it just made everyone laugh harder. In fact, they laughed so hard that they laughed themselves to sleep.

 **The journey has begun! Will they find Louis? All with be revealed in future chapters**.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **This is where the journey really begins, and the herd meets one of the other characters for a short time.**

Grey clouds moved across the sky, blown by a chilly wind. It whistled through a narrow ravine, blowing back the fur of two mammoths that walked along the bottom. Peaches and Ethan walked side by side against the wind, determined to find the hawk and save Louis. "Are you really sure you want to do this?" Peaches called over the noise of the wind. Ethan turned to look at her. "Of course I'm sure!" he said, his voice filled with determination. "Louis is my friend too!" * _Or_ _ **was**_ _*_ he thought, then immediately regretted thinking that. _*Of course he's still alive!*_ he muttered in his mind. _*Fate wouldn't be that cruel, taking Louis's life this early!*_ He quickly stopped thinking about that, and focussed on the journey to come.

Manny awoke to the sound of wind whistling past the entrance to the cave. Looking around, he saw that everyone was sleeping, except for Peaches, who wasn't in the cave. "Where is she?" he asked out loud. Ellie opened an eye and looked at him sleepily. "What's happening?" she asked with a yawn. "Our daughter is gone!" Manny said, pointing with his trunk at the empty space on the ground. "She probably went to get some space," Ellie said, getting to her feet. "Yeah," said Sid. "After all, you did stop her from going after Louis yesterday." Manny slapped him over the head with his trunk, and said, "I didn't stop her! She just thought that's what I was going to say!" "Hey!" complained Sid. "Why do you always do that to me?" "Well," said Manny. "Yesterday, you actually made a joke about the hawk, so maybe Peaches has gone to get some space from you!" Manny turned, and tapped Diego on the back. His eyes opened, and he stared at Manny. "So, you want me to track Peaches?" he asked, yawning. "How did you know?" Manny asked in surprise. "Well, it's basically all you want me to do these days!" Diego answered, rolling his eyes as he got up and walked to the entrance. Shira, Crash, Eddie, and Granny opened their eyes, yawned, and followed. Tree branches clattered overhead as they made their way into the clearing. Diego sniffed the ground, trying to smell Peaches's scent above all of the other scents that covered the clearing. "This way!" he said, heading down a path into the forest. "Are you sure?" asked Manny. Diego looked at him, annoyed. "You ask me to track her," he said. "Then you question me about my tracking ability! Just follow me; I'll find her!" "Why don't we ask that guy?" Eddie suggested, pointing at a small, white feline who had just walked onto the path and was staring at them in astonishment. "Hey, little guy!" said Ellie, approaching him slowly. "Uh, hi?" the feline said, backing slowly away. "Have you seen a younger mammoth, looks sort of like me?" Ellie asked. The feline looked her up and down, then said, "Sorry. Can't say I have." "Oh, never mind then," Ellie said. "Cloudtail!" another voice said suddenly. "Have you found any berries yet?" "Not yet!" the feline, Cloudtail, called back. "But I'll start searching now!" The herd watched Cloudtail dart back into the forest. "Did any of you see him yesterday?" Manny asked. Everyone else shook their heads, then continued following Diego as he tracked Peaches's scent. The scent soon left the path, heading deeper into the forest. "It's leading to the valley's hill borders!" said Manny. He looked at Ellie, worried. "Do you think she might have left the valley?" he asked. "She wouldn't do that!" said Ellie. "The hills are peaceful at this time of year; she's probably gone up there to have space from the crowds." Diego paused, Sid and the possums stopping just before they ran into him. "There's another scent!" he said, sniffing the ground some more. "It's Ethan!" he said, looking back. Manny sighed. The scents led in a relatively straight line up the hill until it reached the top. However, it didn't stop, but instead continued down the other side. "I think I know what's happening!" Shira said. "Peaches and Ethan have gone to try and rescue Louis!" "What courage!" said Crash. Manny glared at him, then said, "Well, we're going to try and stop them before they do anything stupid!" "But Manny," Diego said. "Yesterday, you said that we weren't going to do that!" "Well, now we are!" Manny said. "Lead the way!" Diego sighed, rolled his eyes, then continued tracking the scents.

Peaches and Ethan sheltered in a small cave as the wind roared outside. The wind had turned the ravine into a raging dust storm, which made it possible to only see a few metres in any direction. Ethan was trying to get some sleep, while Peaches sat at the entrance, staring out at the swirling dust outside. "Do you think anyone is looking for us?" she asked. Ethan opened his eyes and looked at her. "Well," he said. "We've been away for only two hours of daylight, so everyone probably thinks we're somewhere in the forest." "Will they look for us, when they discover we're missing?" asked Peaches, walking over and sitting down beside him. "Your parents will probably organise everyone to come and help us look for Louis," said Ethan. "But what if they won't?" asked Peaches, tears filling her eyes. "What if they take us back home?" Ethan stood up and put his trunk around her shoulders. "Don't worry," he said gently. "They wouldn't do something like that; they know how important Louis is to you." "You're the best friend someone like me could have at the moment," Peaches whispered, leaning against him. They both lay down, trying to get some sleep as the wind roared outside.

The other members of the herd stood at the top of a slope that led down into a ravine. The wind roared through it, lifting the dust from the ground and filling the air with it. "Well," said Eddie. "That's impossible to track in," said Crash. As the possums turned away, Manny stepped in front of them. "You aren't going anywhere until we've found Peaches and Ethan!" he said. "Look, Manny," said Diego. "I hate to say this, but the possums are right! That dust, plus the wind, makes it hard to pick up any scents whatsoever!" "Luckily for you, I was a pirate," said Shira. "So my sense of smell has been improved from smelling scents over the salty air and sweaty male pirates. They went this way. Come on!" She took the lead, following the scents down into the ravine. Ellie scooped up Crash and Eddie, put them on her back, then put Sid and Granny on Manny's back. He turned to look at her with an irritated expression. "You decided to go on this journey," she said. "And it could be a long one, so the little ones' legs may get tired from so much walking." "Sure you still wanna go on this journey?" Diego asked him, knowing how much Sid could annoy Manny. Manny nodded, his eyes with a determined look in them. Shira rolled her eyes, then led the herd down into the ravine, the wind blasting around them.

Peaches awoke to dead silence; the wind had stopped. She got to her feet and walked to the cave's entrance. Clouds hung low in the sky, but by the way the land was lit, it had to be at least noon. "Ethan!" she hissed. He sat up, blinking sleep from his eyes. "We have to get going!" she continued. "It's nearly noon; we've overslept!" Ethan could tell that Peaches was starting to panic, so he got to his feet and walked over to her, pressing gently against her. "I promise you that we'll find him," he whispered, feeling Peaches's heart beating fast and her breath coming in quick gasps. She shut her eyes, just managing to hold back a flood of tears. Ethan curled his trunk around hers, offering quiet comfort. After a bit, Peaches took a deep breath and said, "Okay, let's do this." They started walking again, but had gone only a few metres when a dark chuckle suddenly came from behind some rocks. Peaches pressed against Ethan, eyes wide with fear, as a sabre toothed tiger loped casually around the rocks, looking at them. "Well, well, well," it said cheerfully. "What do we have here?" "It appears, pack leader," said another sabre, popping up from behind a rock just to the left of Peaches. "That we have two young mammoths miles from anywhere, surrounded by sabres." Two more sabres padded into view, chuckling softly. Another followed, staying ominously silent. "Yes, it appears we do, said the pack leader. "What do you want with us?" asked Peaches, her voice trembling with fear. Ethan pressed against her, silently promising himself that he would protect her. "What do we want?" the pack leader asked. "Oh, that's easy. We want-" its voice became a sinister growl- "Your meat!" With a roar, the sabre lunged. Ethan closed his eyes and wrapped his trunk around Peaches, preparing for the sabre to land on him so he could slam it into the side of the ravine. However, it didn't happen. Instead, there was the sound of two bodies slamming into each other. Ethan opened his eyes and saw the pack leader locked in battle with another sabre. "Run, guys, run!" called a familiar voice, and Ethan turned to see Shira standing on the edge of the ravine. "Shira!" gasped Peaches. "What are you doing here!?" _*That can only mean-*_ thought Ethan. He turned back to look at the fighting sabres. As he expected, one was Diego. "She was tracking you two!" said Manny's voice, as he, Ellie, Sid, Sid's Granny, and the possums appeared next to Shira. "You're not gonna stop us!" Peaches shouted. "We're still gonna go look for Louis, no matter what you say!" "We came to help you!" said Ellie. Manny glanced at her. "Uh, yeah, we did!" he said. "Don't just stand there!" Diego roared. "I can't fight off all these sabres at once!" Shira bounded down the side of the ravine, slamming into one of the sabres. The rest of the herd followed, and, outnumbered, the sabres retreated. "And stay away!" Diego roared at them. Ethan watched them run up the other side of the ravine and away, then became aware of Manny walking towards him and Peaches. "Oh great," Peaches whispered. "Now we're for it!" "Why did you leave without telling anyone!?" Manny demanded as he came up to them. "If it wasn't for Diego and Shira's tracking skills, then those sabres would have killed you!" "We had it under control," Ethan said. Manny looked at him. "We may as well help you now," he said. "Seeing as how we're about a day from the valley and a whole lot closer to the hawk breeding ground that that chipmunk told us about half an hour ago. "Hawk breeding ground!?" gasped Peaches. "Where?" "At least two hours that way," said Ellie, gesturing along the ravine to a distant cliff that soared into the sky. "Well, what are we waiting for?" said Peaches. "Come on!" She started walking in that direction quickly, and Ethan and the rest of the herd followed.

Two hours later, they arrived at the base of the cliff. It soared up into the air, with no visible way up. Peaches stared up at the sheer cliff, eyes wide. A hawk lifted off from somewhere beyond the edge, flying off west. "How can we get up there?" she asked in a small voice. "Doesn't look like we can," said Manny. "I'm sorry, but it's over." "What's over?" asked a voice. A rabbit poked its head out from a clump of bushes, warily scanning the sky. "Our journey to find our friend," Ethan said. "A hawk took him." The rabbit's eyes widened. "He might not be dead," it said. "Those hawks store their prey for a while before eating it, and there is a way up. Follow me." The rabbit took another wary look at the sky, then slunk along the cliff, keeping to the shadows. The herd followed. Soon, they arrived at a narrow path leading up the cliff face. "Here it is," said the rabbit. "The only way up to the top, and extremely landslide-prone as well. Okay, hope you find your friend, bye!" The rabbit darted off, soon becoming lost from view. "This is too dangerous," said Manny. "Until I'm dead, nobody will come near this place again." Peaches turned to look at him, her green eyes gleaming with fury and desperation. "We're going up there anyway, whether you like it or not," she whispered. She turned and, with Ethan following, started heading up the slope. "This is great!" Manny muttered frantically, starting to pace along the base of the cliff. "She's not listening to me again, and we all remember what happened the last time she did this!" "Manny, calm down!" said Shira. "And besides, I have to tell you guys something." Manny turned to look at her. "What is it?" he asked. Shira took a deep breath, then said, "I'm pregnant."

 **Chapter 7, done. What will happen with this new development?**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **This chapter may also contain a song.**

Silence seemed to fall over the land. Everyone's mouths fell open. Crash and Eddie glanced at each other, then burst out laughing. Diego cleared his throat, and they became quiet. Manny glanced from Shira to Diego and back again. Sid stood there with his mouth open. "That's great news!" said Ellie, attempting to break the awkward silence. "When did you find out?" "Only yesterday," Shira replied, glancing from Ellie to Diego and back again. Diego's eyes were wide, and it was clear he was speechless, the same as everyone, even the possums. However, they were probably being quiet because they didn't want to infuriate Diego. "Guys!" called Ethan suddenly. Ellie turned to see him and Peaches coming down the trail. "What?" Manny asked, sounding annoyed. "We have a problem," said Ethan. "We need a professional tracker." Manny, Sid, and the possums looked at Diego, who, as well as Ellie and Granny, looked at Shira. There was silence for a few seconds, then Shira said, "I'll go. What's the problem?" "I'll have to show you," said Ethan. He turned and followed Peaches back up the trail, and Shira followed, and close behind was the rest of the herd.

_The problem was clear to everyone as soon as they got to the top of the cliff. Nearly every patch of ground was occupied by a hawk's nest, and in those nests sat hawks. Their scent rolled out, greeting the herd with a smell of rotten meat and dirty feathers. Crash and Eddie made themselves as small as possible, but the hawks simply looked at them, then turned back to whatever they were doing. "So, as you can see," said Ethan. "It's impossible to pick up Louis's scent here." Shira sniffed the air, and managed to detect his scent. "This way!" she called, threading her way through the hawks, who shifted uncomfortably, but didn't lift off. Peaches hurried after her, her eyes filled with hope. Ethan followed behind , Shira came to a stop at a row of hawks' nests that formed a sort of barrier right across the top of the cliff, dividing both halves. She walked up and down it, then looked up, her eyes full of sadness. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't smell him anymore. This is the final place his scent is at." Peaches gasped, her eyes widening. Ethan pressed up against her, mind whirling at this shock news. Behind them, it was clear to the rest of the herd that something bad had happened. Manny looked at Ellie, his eyes full of guilt. "If I had simply agreed with her yesterday," he whispered. "Then we could have saved Louis before, well, **this."** Ellie shook her head. "This isn't your fault," she whispered. "We couldn't have saved him." Manny closed his eyes, trying to control his emotions, then said, "We should get going." Ellie nodded. Sadly and silently, they turned and walked to the trail that led down the cliff. Even Crash and Eddie were subdued, not talking and laughing like they usually did.

The next day, the sun set in a cloudless sky as the herd reached the hillside that separated their valley from the outside world. Everyone was quiet, going over the events of the last few days. "Well, would you look at that!" a voice suddenly said, and they looked up to see the feline they'd met the day before, Cloudtail, standing at the top of the hill. With him stood other felines, four friendly-looking humans, one of them in a red, shiny pelt, starts, aardvarks, and the rest of Ethan and Peaches's friends. "I told you I'd met them!" Cloudtail added, looking at the other felines. One of them, an orange one, rolled his eyes. "And I believed you," he said. "It was Brackenfur who didn't." A golden-brown feline glanced at the orange feline, looking annoyed. "Well, and Sandstorm," the orange feline continued. A sand-coloured feline chuckled and nudged the orange one. "Who are you guys?" Manny asked them, as the herd reached the top of the hill. "We're the Warrior Cats," said the orange one. After introducing them, he added, "And these are Iron Man, Iron Dynamo, Tacky, and John Horticus." The humans nodded as their names were spoken. "So," Cloudtail said. "Looks like you found the mammoth you were looking for." He gestured to Peaches. Manny and Ellie looked at each other, wondering if they should tell the strange new arrivals who they'd really been looking for. "Yeah, we found her," said Diego eventually, noticing the mammoths' hesitation. Cloudtail nodded, then turned and darted off back down the other side of the hill. The other cats and humans followed, and the other animals followed. Peaches walked off after them, heading down towards the forest, and Ethan followed.

Soon, Peaches stopped in a clearing near the Teen Hangout. Ethan stopped next to her, and they both sat down. Peaches closed her eyes, trying to keep her emotions together. Ethan sensed her sadness, and wrapped his trunk around her shoulders. Her composure crumbled, and she pressed closer, sobbing. Ethan hugged her, trying to offer comfort. There was a rustle in the bushes surrounding the clearing, and Megan walked in, looking concerned. Ethan mouthed, "Louis," and Megan's eyes widened. She walked over and sat beside them, and started singing softly.

[Megan]

 **We know you've been hurt by someone else**

 **We can tell by the way you carry yourself**

 **If you let us, here's what we'll do**

 **We'll take care of you**

 **We've loved and I've lost**

Ethan looked at Megan, nearly speechless from the beautiful song she was singing. Taking a deep breath, he too began singing.

[Ethan _]_

 **I've asked about you and they told me things**

 **But my mind didn't change**

 **And I still feel the same**

 **What's a life with no fun? please don't be so ashamed**

 **I've had mine, you've had yours we both know**

 **We know, they don't get you like I will**

 **My only wish is I die real**

 **'Cause that truth hurts, and those lies heal**

 **And you can't sleep thinking that he lies still**

 **So you cry still, tears all in the pillow case**

 **Big girls all get a little taste,ah**

 **Pushing me away so I give her space,ah**

 **Dealing with a heart that I didn't break**

 **We'll be there for you, we will care for you**

 **I keep thinking you just don't know**

 **Trying to run from that, say you're done with that**

 **On your face girl, it just don't show**

 **When you're ready, just say you're ready**

 **When all the baggage just ain't as heavy**

 **And the party's over, just don't forget me**

 **We'll change the pace and we'll just go slow**

 **You won't ever have to worry,**

 **You won't ever have to hide**

 **You've seen all my mistakes**

 **So look me in my eyes**

Megan continued the song.

 _[_ Megan _]_

 **'Cause if you let us, here's what we'll do**

 **We'll take care of you**

 **We've loved and I've lost**

Ethan took over from there.

[Ethan]

 **Yeah**

 **It's my birthday, I'll get high if I want to**

 **Can't deny that I want you, but I'll lie if I have to**

 **'Cause you don't say you love me**

 **To your friends when they ask you**

 **Even though we both know that you do (you do)**

 **One time, been in love one time**

 **You and all your girls in the club one time**

 **All so convinced that you're following your heart**

 **'Cause your mind don't control what it does sometimes**

 **We all have our nights though, don't be so ashamed**

 **I've had mine, you've had yours, we both know**

 **We know, you hate being alone**

 **You ain't the only one**

 **You hate the fact that you bought the dream**

 **And they sold you one**

 **You love your friends but somebody shoulda told you somethin' to save you**

Megan concluded the song.

 _[Megan]_

 **We know you've been hurt by someone else**

 **We can tell by the way you carry yourself**

 **If you let us, here's what we'll do**

 **We'll take care of you**

 **We've loved and we've lost**

As silently as a breeze, Megan gently touched Peaches's shoulder with her trunk, then disappeared back into the forest. Peaches looked up at Ethan, her face streaked with tears. "Thanks," she whispered. Ethan smiled kindly at her, then hugged her tighter. "That's what friends do for each other," he whispered. Peaches gave a shaky sigh, resting her head on Ethan's shoulder and wiping her tear-reddened eyes. "Is it okay if I spend the night with you?" she asked quietly. "I don't think I'll be able to handle all my family's questions about whether I'm okay or not." "Of course you can," Ethan replied. "I'm sure your family would understand." Peaches nodded, and Ethan led her out of the clearing towards his cave.

Manny and Diego walked silently into their clearing. Some hyraxes looked up from a prank they were making, then went back to it. "Did you see where Peaches went?" Manny asked them. The hyraxes chatted amongst themselves, then shook their heads. "She's gone home with Ethan," said Eddie, as he, Crash, and Huck scrambled down a tree and walked over to the other hyraxes. "And she didn't ask me?" Manny asked, sounding shocked. "Manny," sighed Diego. "She's just been through a tragedy. I think you should let her have some space." Manny nodded, and sighed. "And don't blame yourself for not sending a rescue mission sooner," Diego added. "Hawks can fly fast; I've watched them before. It would have reached the nesting ground by evening the day it took Louis." "That's not what I'm thinking about," said Manny. "I'm thinking about the memorial we have to prepare; Louis was basically a member of our herd ever since he saved Peaches from Gutt back on our old continent." Diego nodded, then asked, "When will it be?" "Tomorrow," said Manny. "We'll invite all his friends, the hyraxes if they want to come, and also maybe those new arrivals we met earlier." "Those guys seem pretty cool," said Eddie."I think we could be good friends." *By friends,* Ellie thought, as she and the rest of the herd walked into the clearing. *They mean prank victims.* She said nothing, and just nodded. Sid yawned, and walked into the cave, falling asleep almost immediately. The rest of the herd followed close behind.

The herd was wrong, however. Louis was alive, and heading back to the valley. Or at least, trying to. He was digging, slowly, through the rock of the cliff after escaping through the bottom of the hawk's nest he was trapped in. He wondered what the herd's reaction would be when he returned, especially Peaches's. He put that to the back of his mind, and concentrated on digging.

Three humans stood on the hilltop and looked down at the valley below. They weren't humans from other dimensions like Iron Man, John Horticus, Iron Dynamo and Tacky, but normal cavemen. A young human looked at one of the older ones, and asked, "Do you think this could be our new home, Dad?" The young human's dad looked out over the landscape, and nodded. "Roshan, I think this could be," he said. The third human stayed silent, and looked over the valley, nodding as he saw its hidden valleys where prey presumably dwelled.

 **That's right! An old friend has returned. Ideas for future chapters are welcome.**

 **Note; Ethan's and Megan's song was a rewritten version of** _ **"Take Care"**_ **by Drake and Rihanna.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Brackenfur awoke in the night to see John standing outside the cave where they'd made their shelter, hammering something to a large object. "Hey, John!" Iron Man called as he too woke. "What are you making there?" John looked around. "Oh, hey guys," he said. "You know how people always say how time travel is real, right?" Iron Man and Brackenfur looked at each other, then nodded. "Well," John continued. "I'm trying to make a beacon that'll send a signal to any piece of high technology, and if it's a time machine, then the travellers can come and rescue us." He paused, then added, "I'm using your suit by the way. Hope you don't mind." Iron Man looked back into the cave to where the rest of their group was still asleep. "The general hilarity of seeing Iron Dynamo in that shirt is starting to wear off," he said. "So I guess you don't have to worry about falling about laughing when you see him, and risk damaging your work. And I don't mind about you using my suit. I can always create a new one when we get back to our own times." **"If** we get back," said Tacky as he awoke. "And it's a very big **if."** "At least we can talk to the animals, other than you guys," said Iron Man. "They'll be able to help us find the best places for food." John nodded, then turned back to the beacon he was building. He picked up a stick and started unscrewing something from the beacon, then screwed it on the back. Brackenfur sat down to watch, while Tacky and Iron Man went back to sleep.

The morning dawned bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. Ellie walked out of the cave, and saw Crash, Eddie, and some hyraxes pulling their piles of prank material off to one side of the clearing. Manny and Sid were stacking branches into a pile, and Ellie finally realised that they were planning Louis's memorial for the evening. As she realised this, the cats that they'd met yesterday walked in, and stopped. "Well, look who it is!" said Brightheart, who, Ellie noticed, had an eyepatch just like Buck. Occasionally, Ellie wondered how Buck was doing in the dinosaur world, and if he'd been affected by the drift the same way the herd had. "Do you live here?" Brightheart continued. Manny nodded. "We do," he said. "But where do you guys live?" "Near a grove of willow trees, for now," said Cloudtail. "In a cave between two fallen trees." "Anyway," said Firestar. "What are you guys doing?" Manny told them, and their eyes went wide. "Poor little guy," Sandstorm whispered. "Nobody should have to die like that." "So, you have this special gathering-type thing that you missed, right?" asked Brackenfur. Manny nodded. "Could you combine this memorial and your gathering together?" he asked. "We could," replied Manny. "Why?" "I could do some singing to liven up the event," Brackenfur said. Manny and Ellie looked at each other. "Should we invite them?" she whispered. "I mean, we've never invited strangers before." "Music cheers people up," Manny answered. "I think Peaches would like some singing." "So, we're in?" asked Brackenfur, who had somehow climbed onto a branch above the two mammoths without anyone noticing. "Yeah, you're in," Manny replied. Brackenfur leaped down off the branch, landed gracefully on the ground, and followed the other cats as they left.

_Diego watched them go, his eyes narrowed. "You don't like them, do you?" Shira asked him. "They're okay," Diego muttered. "But that one that sings, Brackenfur, he looks a little wild." "Well, he's new here," replied Shira. "Everyone looks a bit wild when you first meet them." She gave him a playful nudge and added, "You especially did." "Not as much as you!" Diego protested. "I mean, you **were** a pirate!" Shira nodded. "Okay, you got me," she sighed. Her eyes lit up suddenly, and she bowled Diego over, adding, "But now I got you!" There was a whistle from nearby. Diego growled, and his gaze snapped towards the whistler; Sid. Shira winked at Diego, then said in a loud voice, "So, Diego. What do you think our kids' first solid food will be?" Diego looked at Shira, then at Sid, then got the idea. "I think," he said loudly and slowly. "That he or she will like sloth. Sloth that's been dead for a few days at least." Sid's eyes widened, and he gulped. Manny and Ellie looked at each other, wondering if they should intervene. Crash, Eddie, and the hyraxes watched, interested. "Of course," Shira added. "The only sloths in sight are herd members, so we won't make food out of them. But we **might** if a certain sloth keeps whistling like that at us." Sid nodded frantically, looked around, then casually walked off as if nothing had happened. "And that's the way you stop Sid from annoying you," Shira said. Diego nodded, then added, "But, knowing Sid, he'll have forgotten about it already." Shira thought for a moment, then grinned. "I know," she whispered. "We'll go hunting, but we'll follow Sid so he doesn't forget." "Great idea," said Diego. With a chuckle, he and Shira walked out of the clearing and into the forest.

Sid fast-walked through the forest, hoping that Diego and Shira weren't following him. "They threatened to **eat** me!" he gasped to himself. "They **actually** threatened to **eat** me!" A twig suddenly snapped behind him, and he whipped around. There was movement in a bush, an orange pelt that looked really familiar. "It's just that cat that visited, Firestar," Sid said, trying to convince himself that it was. The bush shook, and then Diego's head slowly emerged from it, looking around slowly. Shira's head emerged beside him, and looked straight at Sid. She mouthed, "Look out," winked, then slowly disappeared back into the bush. Sid turned, and ran. He had only one plan; get as far away from the sabers as he could. He glanced behind him, and saw them loping casually after him. All at once, the ground dropped away from under him. Sid gave a yelp as he tumbled into a ditch, landing on something soft at the bottom. Seconds later, Diego and Shira leaped over the top of the ditch, and vanished from view. Suddenly, the ground below Sid moved. He jumped up in fright, slammed into the ditch wall, then turned around, finding himself looking into the beautiful green eyes of a female sloth. "Who are you?" she asked, taking a step back. "I'm Sidney, but my friends call me Sid," Sid replied, as a strange feeling come over him. "And who are you?" "Lucy," replied the female sloth. Sid nodded, then looked around. "I'd better be getting back," he replied quickly. "To where I live, I mean. Where else would I go?" Sid realised he was starting to make no sense, so he decided to leave. "I'll be going now," he said, attempting to climb the ditch wall. Dirt crumbled away beneath his hands and feet, and he slid back down. Feeling embarrassed, he tried again, with the same result. The third time, he reached halfway, then fell back down. "You know," Lucy began. She sounded like she was trying not to laugh. "There's an easier slope just over there." She pointed, and Sid looked. Now, he felt really embarrassed. "Thanks," he said quickly, then walked up the slope, silently asking himself how he'd missed seeing the easy way out. "Goodbye, Sidney," Lucy called behind him. "Maybe I'll see you some other time. Just remember the easy way out!" She laughed, and Sid did to; he couldn't help it. "Maybe you will see me," he said. "Or maybe I'll see you first." Lucy nodded. Sid turned, and started walking back towards the herd's clearing.

Manny, Ellie, the possums, and the hyraxes had just finished preparing the fire-pile, when the bushes at the edge of the clearing rustled again. They looked up, expecting to see the sabers or Sid, but instead, it was Peaches and Ethan. The chattering of the possum brothers and their hyrax friends faded away as they noticed, until there was total silence. "That's right, we're back," Peaches said eventually, her voice no longer carrying the spark of happiness that it usually did. Crash and Eddie glanced at each other, then silently slipped away. Nobody noticed except for the hyraxes. "So, sweetie, are you okay?" Manny asked gently, taking a step forward. Peaches gave a heaving sigh, then shook her head. Ethan looked from her to Manny, wondering if he should go or stay. "You can go now," Peaches said quietly to him. "Go and train for your turtle-hockey game. Train for victory." Ethan nodded, seemed to be about to say something, then turned and headed out of the clearing. Peaches watched him go, then turned back to Manny as he walked up to her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "If I had organised a rescue mission as soon as I heard the news, Louis would be here right now." Peaches's eyes filled with tears as she shook her head. "It wasn't your fault, it was mine," she whispered. "I could've been carrying him, and then the hawk wouldn't have struck, because hawks don't even think about taking on mammoths." Manny wrapped his trunk around Peaches and hugged her. "Whoever's fault it was," he whispered. "We'll always remember him as the hero who saved our lives from those pirates, Gutt especially." "There's something I want to do," Peaches said, her voice shaking. "I want to see how Louis's family is." "You want us to come with you?" Manny asked. "Or do you want to go alone?" "Can you come?" Peaches asked. "It's the only way I'll be able to tell them." Manny nodded, then followed Peaches as she walked slowly out of the clearing, Ellie following close behind the others. Soon, they reached an ancient oak tree, where Louis's family lived in a burrow among the roots. "Anyone in?" Manny called down the hole. For a moment, there was silence, then a scuffling sound. Larry emerged from the hole, squinting up at the three mammoths. He mumbled something inaudible, then stumbled out of the hole, tripped over a tree root, and collapsed. "Gah!" he grunted. Curshed tchree root!" His voice was slurred, and his eyes didn't seem to be focused on anything. "Larry?" Peaches asked hesitantly. "You okay?" Larry mumbled something, and rolled over onto his back. He burped, then rolled back. A strange smell floated up from him. "Marigold sap," said Huck, suddenly appearing in the oak's branches. The rest of the hyraxes were there as well, plus the possums. "Marigold sap?" asked Manny. "Is that dangerous?" Huck shrugged. "In small amounts, no," he said. "In large amounts, yes. Usually, it just knocks you out for a few hours, but occasionally, it can make you see things. I think-" he stopped, and sighed deeply- "I think Larry had some in a large amount in the hope that he could see Louis again." Peaches's eyes filled with tears again, and she turned and started walking away. "Peaches, wait," Huck said gently. "He might still be alive somewhere; you just have to hope." Peaches turned back, and shook her head. "He would be back by now," she whispered tearfully. "If he was alive, he **would** be." Huck shook his head. "You never know," he said. "He might be taking a while, that's all." "Manny did," Gash added. "And Louis will as well." Peaches didn't answer; she just turned and walked off. Larry, meanwhile, rolled across the ground, and slipped down the hole. "I'll go and talk to her," said Ellie, walking after Peaches. "She needs reassurance at times like this." "This place felt so peaceful when we first arrived," Manny sighed. "Now, it's like all our problems have followed us across the ocean." "This was just a freak accident," Ellie told him. "It wasn't like the pirates followed us or anything." Manny nodded, then looked again at Louis's family's burrow. He heard Ellie walk off, but he stayed there, thinking about how his mother and father was handling this. Maybe they were taking marigold sap like Larry was, or maybe they didn't know he was. "They won't come to the memorial tonight," he said to himself. "I guess that's fair, though." He turned, and started walking back towards the herd's clearing.

Louis dug up out of the ground for another look, hoping that he was close to his home valley. He gave a whoop of delight when he saw he was on the hills that surrounded the valley. "Oh yeah!" he whooped. "I'm back everybody!" He made a plan of what he'd do when he showed himself to the herd; tell Peaches his feelings. "It's been put off for too long," he said to himself, diving back into the ground and digging towards the forest. "I should do it now before something else happens." The next time he went above-ground, he could see the herd's clearing, lit by a huge fire. "Look's like I'm just in time for Herd Night," Louis said. "A coincidence? I think not." He walked silently through the bushes, until he was just on the border of the clearing. To his surprise, it wasn't just Ethan and Steffie as the guests; he could see that all of Ethan's gang was present, as well as some of the hyraxes, sitting silently on one of the overhanging branches above Manny and Ellie. To Louis's surprise, he saw four humans standing close by, cats sitting on an old log next to them. "New arrivals to the valley," he said to himself. "Manny must have invited them." He looked back to where Peaches was sitting in between Megan and Ethan, and started walking quietly towards her. As he got closer, he heard snatches of conversation from the other mammoths. "I never really knew the guy," he heard Brandon say. "But didn't he-" A wind rustled the bushes, drowning out his question, but Louis saw Steffie nod. "He did," she said. "How did you forget about that?" "Guys," Ethan interrupted. "This isn't the right time to talk about him." "He's right, you know," said Megan. "This was a tragedy, not something we can gossip about all the time." *A tragedy?* Louis thought to himself. *What could've happened?* Before he could wonder anymore, Manny started speaking.

"Friends," he said. "Family, and new arrivals-" here, he gestured to the humans and cats. "Usually, as you know, Herd Night is a happy occasion. This time, though, it isn't. As you've no doubt been told, Louis was taken by a hawk a few days ago. There was no sign of him when we went to try and rescue him, so this is also a memorial to him."

"What!?" Louis gasped silently, stepping back. "They think I'm **dead!?"** This was **not** what he thought his return would be like! "No way," he whispered. "No way no way no way!" Now he understood why everyone wasn't talking and laughing like they usually did on Herd Night. "I can't show myself now," he muttered. "There'll be panic and stuff, screams of 'The rise of the undead!' and 'Zombie attack!' and stuff like that." He turned, and made to walk off, only to freeze as he saw three humans standing in the shadows, looking out at the herd's clearing. "Look at the mammoths, Runar," one of the bigger ones whispered. "They're the very definition of plumpness.." "I'm more focused on the two sabers," the other one, Runar, whispered back. "I don't know, but I swear that one of them is one of the sabers that attacked our camp all those years ago." "The one that took me?" the smallest human asked, and Louis realised that these were the same humans mentioned in the story of when the herd first met. "Roshan," he said, remembering the human baby's name. "He's still alive, after the Great Flood and the drift and all." "Yes, son, that very one," Runar replied. "And it looks like he got himself a mate." *I don't like the sound of this,* Louis thought to himself. *I think I'd better warn the herd after all.* Before he could, he realised that in the clearing, Peaches had started to speak.

"He was the greatest friend I ever had," she said, nearly too quietly for Louis to hear. Behind him, the humans stopped whispering. "He should never-" she stopped, her eyes filling with tears, before continuing- "He should never have died like this. He shouldn't have died yet. It wasn't his time." She bowed her head, tears glittering in the firelight. To Louis's surprise, Ethan gently put his trunk around her shoulders, whispering something to her. "They can't be together," he muttered. "They can't." "Okay!" said one of the cats, jumping down from the hollow log where its kind were sitting. "I think it's time for some singing! What do you say, guys?" "What kind of singing?" asked Diego. "All sorts," the cat replied. "But first, I think we should sing a song by a band in our time; The Tragedy Trio." "Brackenfur, you will **not** play _The Funeral!"_ another cat snapped. "Because I **know** that's what you're planning!" "Why not?" asked the first cat, Brackenfur. "I know that the guy in the song wasn't all the stuff it said he was, but that's okay; this guy wasn't either!" "This isn't the time, okay!" the other cat snapped. "Pick another song!" "Just stop!" Peaches shouted from the edge of the clearing. "Don't sing anything! Take your stupid tune machine or whatever it is and **leave!"** "Peaches," Ellie murmured. "They just want to liven the occasion up a bit. Give them a chance." Peaches looked at Ellie, taking deep breaths as she tried to control herself. "This was a **tragedy!"** Brackenfur said, and Louis sighed; these cats weren't making anything easy for Peaches, who he could see was devastated by his 'death.' "The song is by a band called The **Tragedy** Trio! It fits perfectly with the occasion!" "I have a song," said Shira. "The one that we sung when we settled down at our new home." _"We Are Family!"_ said Ellie, realising. "Good idea, Shira!" "Brackenfur, do you have that tune on board?" asked one of the other cats. "Dustpelt, what do you think!?" Brackenfur snapped. "Of **course** I've got that tune!" "Well, put it on then!" said Manny. Brackenfur nodded, and pulled something out from behind the log. He pushed his paws onto some raised bumps, and strange noises came out of the thing. Ellie and Manny looked at each other, then started singing.

" **We are, we are**

 **Not your ordinary fama-mily**

 **But we can all agree that**

 **We are, we are**

 **Close as close can be"**

As they finished, Shira took over.

" **So it don't matter what it looks like**

 **We look perfect to me**

 **We got every kind of lover**

 **We're so lucky indeed"**

Diego;

" **They can keep on talking**

 **It don't matter to me cause"**

Manny, Ellie, Shira;

" **We are, we are family**

 **We are are are are (We are are)**

 **We are are are are (We are are)**

 **We are are are are (We are are)"**

Finally, Peaches began singing.

" **So what?**

 **We don't look, we don't act**

 **We don't walk, we don't talk**

 **Like you do"**

Megan;

" **So what?**

 **If we hang just a hang and no shame**

 **We both do what we want to"**

Brackenfur, Firestar, Sandstorm;

 **We journeyed far and wide**

 **Searchin' for a perfect place**

 **Somehow we found it here"**

All of the herd;

" **We found us a home!"**

Ellie, Peaches;

" **We are, we are**

 **Not your ordinary fami-mily**

 **But we can all agree that**

 **We are, we are**

 **Close as close can be"**

Firestar;

" **Everywhere we go,**

 **There's something to know**

 **No matter what goes on,**

 **We'll always find a way home!"**

Megan;

" **We are, we are**

 **Not your ordinary fami-mily**

 **But we can all agree that**

 **We are, we are**

 **Close as close can be"**

Shira, Diego;

" **So it don't matter what it looks like**

 **We look perfect to me**

 **We got every kind of lover**

 **We're so lucky indeed"**

Everyone;

" **They can keep on talking**

 **It don't matter to me cause**

 **We are, we are family**

 **(Family)**

 **(We are, we are)**

 **We are, we are family"**

As the singing died away, John stood up. "Fellow lost-in-time-friends," he said. "I have a solution for our problem." He held up a dented-looking thing, made of wood, rocks, and Iron Man's and Crimson Dynamo's super-suits. "Uh, what is that?" asked Diego, walking closer to it. "A beacon!" replied John. "It'll send a signal to any piece of high technology around, and alert them of our presence. Then, we'll be rescued!" "Okay," Diego said slowly, clearly not understanding. "But how does it work?" "Breathe on this glass panel here," said John, pointing. Diego did so, and instantly, the entire thing rattled and sparked. "Whoa!" exclaimed Manny, shifting backwards. "Diego, get back! It's dangerous!" "Don't worry, it's meant to do that!" John said, placing it on the ground. "It's just booting up, that's all." Crash and Eddie looked at each other. "Booting?" Eddie remarked. "It's booting up!?" "More like booty-ing!" said Crash, and both possums burst out laughing. "Oh boy," muttered Peaches, knowing that the possums would be joking about this for days to come, Sid as well, probably. Beside her, Ethan chuckled. "Wow, you're herd's crazy," he said, looking at her. Peaches nodded, suddenly, for some reason, feeling embarrassed by how close she was to him. *It can't be!* she thought. *I can't be starting to have a crush on him again!* However, that was exactly what seemed to be happening. "Okay, that's it," said Steffie. "I'm done with this. See you guys later." She got up and started walking off, then turned back. "Ethan, you coming?" she asked. Ethan looked from her to Peaches, seeming to consider his choice. "If it's okay with you," he said. "I'm going to stay here for a little bit more." "Sure," Steffie replied. "It's your choice." She glanced at the campfire, then said, "Peaches, I'm sorry, for everything." "That's okay," sighed Peaches, feeling the joy and happiness of the singing start fading quickly, to be replaced by the sadness of why they were here in the first place. Steffie seemed to be about to say something else, then changed her mind and walked off. "Peaches?" Ethan asked. "You okay?" Peaches turned to face him, not sure what to say. "I think we should Herd Night to a close," Manny announced suddenly. "Let's all go back to our homes, and have a good night's sleep." The cats, plus Iron Man, Tacky, Crimson Dynamo and John, all got up and started walking off, Firestar carrying Brackenfur's Tune-O-Matic, and John carrying his beacon, which was now operational. "See you tomorrow," said Megan, as she and Katie also left. This left just the herd and Ethan, who seemed reluctant to leave. "Ethan?" Ellie asked. "Aren't you leaving with them?" "I was thinking I might stay the night here," Ethan replied. "If that's okay with you, Manny, of course." "Peaches spent the night with you last night," Manny said, sounding as if he disapproved of this. "I don't think it should be switched around; **you** spending the night with **us."** The haze of grief that had settled over Peaches from the moment Louis had been taken, blocking out the memories of the time right after that, began lifting. She found herself remembering the journey back from the hawk breeding ground, how Ethan had stayed close to her the entire time, ready to offer comfort at a moment's notice. He'd let her sleep at his place, even though he knew Manny wouldn't like it, would most likely try to keep them separate, like he'd tried to do before the drift. 'The delinquents,' she remembered Manny calling their friends. 'I don't want you hanging out with them. Ever.' "Let him stay here, just for one night," she said before she could stop herself. Ethan glanced at her, surprised. Crash and Eddie glanced at them, then started whispering and laughing. "No," Manny said firmly. "He will **not** be staying here." "That's okay," said Ethan, turning to go. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." "Don't go!" Peaches said suddenly. "Please," she added, more quiet this time. "Please stay." "I'd like to, I really would," Ethan replied, glancing at Manny. "But this isn't a good time. But remember; you're not alone in this." Peaches nodded, feeling tears fill her eyes again. Noticing this, Ethan walked back and gently hugged her. "Let's go for a walk tomorrow," he whispered. "Just the two of us. Try and have a good time." Peaches nodded, trying to keep her emotions together. "Goodbye," she whispered. Ethan nodded, then turned and headed out of the clearing. Without another word, Peaches walked back into the cave. Ellie followed her, lying down beside her. Manny, Shira and the rest of the herd followed, and soon everyone was asleep.

Louis sat at the top of one of the ice-slides in the deserted Teen Hangout, looking up at the night sky. "They think I'm dead," he said to himself. "And it looks like Peaches is with Ethan. This isn't the return I hoped for!" He wondered for a moment if he should head to his family burrow, but changed his mind just as fast. "I'd better just spend the night here," he decided. "Then stay low for the next few days." He clambered carefully down the ice-slide until he reached a small alcove halfway down, packed with moss and soft leaves. Molehogs sometimes used it as a hangout-within-the-hangout, but nobody was there now. "Not as comfortable as home," he said. "But it's good." He lay down, and was soon fast asleep.

Roshan, his dad Runar and his uncle Ragnar, sat in a clearing near one of the valley's border hills. "So, we've found a place of animals," said Ragnar. "Food for months, if we hunt correctly." "What!?" gasped Roshan, shocked. "You want to hunt the animals that saved me!?" "Not all of 'em saved you," said Ragnar. "That saber didn't." "Actually, he did," Roshan countered. "He led the mammoth and sloth, Manny and Sid I think their names were, to Half Peak, turned on his pack, took the killing blow to save Manny's life, then, just as we were leaving through Glacier Pass, he returned." "What was his name?" asked Runar, who, along with Ragnar, clearly didn't believe a word of Roshan's explanation. "Diego," replied Roshan, then added, "I'm telling the truth, you know!" "It's just hard to believe, that's all," said Runar, while thinking, *Not true. Not true at all.* "We'll talk more in the morning," he said aloud. "Right now, let's get some sleep." Ragnar crawled into the small tepee he'd built earlier, and was soon asleep. Runar and Roshan, who still hadn't built a tepee yet, lay down on the ground under the stars, and were asleep just as quickly.

"You lost it!"

Tony beat his wings to stay upright as his mate lunged at him, squawking in fury. "I can't believe you lost it!" "I put it under the nest!" Tony protested, pointing. "Honestly, I did!" "Well, it's not there now," snapped his mate. "Just look and see!" Nervously, Tony approached the nest, slid a talon under it, and lifted an edge. A squirrel and two mice huddled at the other side, terrified. In the centre of the cleared section, however, was a burrow. "NO!" Tony howled, flapping his wings to rise into the air. "He escaped! That's it; I'm going to catch him again, and kill him!" No, you fool!" his mate said, grabbing his tail feathers and pulling him back to the ground. "You guard the nest for a few days while I go food searching, then when I come back, you go find the molehog. And don't come back until you have it." Tony nodded, and his mate took off, wheeling around the hawk breeding ground with a shriek, then disappearing into the east. Tony sat down on the nest, his mind burning with thoughts of revenge.

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any ideas, PM me or put them in reviews.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 **Enjoy, my friends, enjoy.**

A few days later, it was the big hockey game. Manny, Ellie, Peaches, Diego, Crash and, despite Diego's protests, Shira, were gathered on the side of a hill above a frozen lake near the Teen Hangout. Down below, on the frozen lake, the hockey game was well under way. Ethan's group appeared to be winning, but only just. Up in the crowd, everyone was waiting eagerly for the next goal. Everyone, except Peaches. She had nothing on her mind, except for Louis's fate. Down below, Ethan and Brandon circled one another, carefully knocking the turtle shell back and forth. It was their signature move; the Hurricane. As Peaches watched, they circled faster and faster, until the turtle shell suddenly shot out of the circle, sped past the opposition defenders, and into the goal. The onlookers all cheered. Peaches nodded dejectedly, then got up and walked off. Nobody noticed, except for Ethan, who was now in the substitute area, having swapped with Steffie. He looked around to make sure nobody was watching, then headed off into the forest after Peaches.

Soon, he saw her ahead, sitting in a patch of tulips. "Peaches?" he called. "You okay?" Straight away, he realised what a stupid question that was; of **course** Peaches wasn't okay! She was going through an extreme tragedy! At first, Peaches didn't respond, but when Ethan was right behind her, she turned, her eyes red-rimmed with tears. "These were his favorite flowers," she whispered, holding up a white tulip. "Not the orange ones, or those pale yellow ones over there, but these white ones. Which, it seems, are the most common ones around here." She shook her head, muttering something under her breath that Ethan didn't hear. Gently, he curled his trunk around hers and lifted the tulip from her grasp, placing it softly on the ground. "Come on," he said. "Let's head back to the game. They're probably wondering where we are." Peaches turned her gaze back on the tulips. "Life is so fragile," she whispered. "A single frost could kill these off in one night. As quickly-" she stopped to take a deep, shuddering breath- "As quickly as a hawk swoops." She snapped her head up suddenly, her eyes now gleaming with anger. "It's not fair!" she hissed. "He shouldn't have been taken! He was my best friend; we didn't keep any secrets from each other! He knew who I loved, who I hated, what my dreams for the future were!" She stopped, her breaths coming in short gasps. Ethan looked at her, then at the tulips growing everywhere. "You can tell me those things," he said gently. "I promise I won't tell anyone else." Peaches looked at him, then sighed deeply. "Forget I said anything," she muttered. "I'm just going through a hard time." Ethan moved closer to her, pressing against her. "It's best to tell someone things," he said gently. "They'll help you with what you're going through." Peaches looked at him, then whispered something. "What?" Ethan asked gently. "What did you say?" Peaches took a deep breath, then said, "I love you. There, I said it." Ethan took a step back, shocked. Whatever he'd imagined Peaches to say, it was **not** this! *If Steffie heard this. . .* he thought, not wanting to think of the outcome. "Now, leave me alone,' Peaches muttered. "Forget I said anything, and tell nobody what I said if you don't forget." "How can I forget this!?" Ethan burst out. "You love me, Steffie loves me, and-" he stopped, then went on- "And I love you, too." Peaches's eyes widened, then she edged closer and hugged him. Ethan returned the hug, finally realising that Peaches, not Steffie, was the one for him. Suddenly, there was the sound of something running through the forest, and Peaches pulled away from Ethan, just as Crash and Firestar burst into the tulip patch. They appeared to be in a hurry. "Peaches!" Crash gasped. "Come back to the cave, now!" "What's going on?" Ethan asked, looking from Crash to Firestar. "Shira's giving birth!" Firestar said, panting for breath. "She wants all the herd there!" Peaches and Ethan stared at each other, then she got to her feet. "Let's go!" she said to Crash, all signs of grief apparently gone. Crash nodded, and he and Firestar vanished into the forest. Ethan followed close behind Peaches.

Louis dug through the ground, and suddenly burst into one of the main tunnels in his burrow. "Yes!" he cheered quietly. "I wasn't looking for it, but now that I'm here, I might as well reveal myself!" He quietly crept through his burrow, and soon found the entrance to Larry's room, half-blocked by roots. "Larry?" he called quietly. "You there?" There was some muttering from the room, and Louis peered in. Instantly, he was bombarded by the strong scent of marigold sap. Larry lay on his moss-and-grass bed, a faraway look in his eyes. Louis stared at his brother. "No," he whispered, tears filling his eyes. "Larry, you can't be doing this." However, it was clear that Larry was doing it; drinking marigold sap so he could see the dead, preferably Louis, again. The only thing was, Louis wasn't dead. He pulled himself out of the room, and leaned against the tunnel wall, horrified by what he'd seen. Suddenly, there was the sound of movement near the entrance, and Louis smelled the scent of his parents. He whipped around, looking for an escape route. Nearby, there was an old tunnel in the wall, half-blocked by soil, but he dug away the blockage and escaped.

The tunnel led through the ground in a regularly straight line, so Louis only bumped into two rocks by the time he reached the entrance. He peered out, and to his surprise, found himself in the herd's clearing. As Louis crept into a patch of ferns, a pained shriek echoed from the cave. He sucked in a breath, wondering who it was, but also not wanting to know at the same time. Diego appeared, pacing up and down nervously. There was a louder shriek, and Louis saw Diego wince. Suddenly, Manny appeared, and Diego ran to him. Louis crept closer, and heard what they were saying. "Is she okay?" Diego demanded. Manny glanced back at the cave. "Come at meet your son," he whispered, and Louis let out a gasp that he was sure they heard. *Shira's given birth?* he thought. *Well, that wasn't what I expected my return to be like!* He really wanted to follow Diego and Manny to see what had happened, but he couldn't reveal himself. He turned, and headed in a random direction, not sure where he was going, but determined to make a new life for himself.

Diego walked slowly into the cave, barely able to believe his eyes. The rest of the herd looked at him, then at Shira. Curled up next to her, was a baby male saber. "Well," Shira whispered quietly. "What do you think?" Diego sat down beside her, looking at his newborn son. "He's perfect," he whispered. "What should we call him?" "He looks like you," Shira answered sleepily, yawning. "You can decide if you want." "Bobby," Diego answered. "That name just feels right." Shira nodded. "Bobby," she murmured. "Perfect." "I guess good things come out of bad things after all," said Sandstorm, who had come with Firestar to assist with the birth. She nodded respectively to Peaches, who looked back, then turned away. "Well," said Firestar. "We'll be going now. Congratulations, herd, for your new member." And with that, the two cats left. Firestar paused in the centre of the clearing, looking around as he smelled a scent, then shook his head and followed Sandstorm.

As the sun set, Ethan saw Peaches standing at the top of the hill above the hockey arena, apparently waiting for him. As he started walking towards her, Steffie fell in beside him. "Great game, wasn't it?" she remarked. "We beat 'em pretty good." "Yeah, we did," Ethan replied, wondering how to tell her what he was going to. He took a deep breath, then said, "Steffie, I need to tell you something." "What is it?" she asked. Ethan sighed; he wasn't looking forward to this. "Look, Stef," he began. "I think it's best if we're not together for now." Steffie stared at him, clearly not believing what he was saying. "Why?" she eventually burst out, her eyes filling with tears. "What have I done?" "Nothing!" Ethan said gently, reaching out to touch her shoulder with his trunk. "It's just-" he sighed- "Peaches needs me, and loves me. I love her too, but not as much as you; that's a promise." Steffie stepped forward and hugged him. "I see," she murmured. "I knew it would happen eventually." "So, you're okay with it?" Ethan asked, surprised. "No, of course I'm not!" Steffie whispered. "But Peaches has lost one of her best friends, and you're the next best friend she has!" Ethan nodded. "I guess so," he muttered. "Sorry." "That's fine," said Steffie, though Ethan could tell that she wasn't fine. "I'll be seeing you soon." Before Ethan could say anything else, Steffie stepped back, then turned and walked off. *Why did I do this?* Ethan thought, regretting it. *Why why why?* However, there was no turning back now; he'd said and done it, and now Peaches was his girlfriend. With a sigh, Ethan turned to go up the hill to Peaches, only to see that she'd gone. What he saw made him regret breaking up with Steffie even more; there, in Peaches's place, was a tree, illuminated by the setting sun in just a way that it looked like a mammoth. Ethan groaned, then closed his eyes, wishing things were different. "Anyway," he said aloud. "Things can't be changed now. Better head home." He turned, and headed off.

Diego walked through the forest, hunting. Actually, he was just thinking. "I'm a father," he muttered to himself for about the hundredth time. "I can't believe it." He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he didn't realise where he was heading. Suddenly, he emerged into a clearing, stumbling over a sharp-pointed stick that lay on the ground. The stink of humans rolled out to meet him, and he froze. Dotted around the clearing were three of the shelters that humans built. The last time he'd seen things like this was before he'd met Manny and Sid, way back when he was still part of a pack. "No," he whispered. "I'm okay with the Tacky and the others, but not these." If he wasn't mistaken, these were the same humans Soto had been obsessed about attacking. *Roshan!* he suddenly thought. *He might still be alive!* He hoped that he was; it would mean that he could introduce the human to the herd, if he wanted, of course. Suddenly, there were rustles in the bushes on the other side of the clearing, and then a young human walked out. He froze when he saw Diego, eyes widening. "Roshan?" Diego asked, barely able to believe it. The human gasped, recognition filling his gaze, but before he could reply, a sharp pointed stick whistled through the air and embedded itself into the ground right in front of the unsuspecting saber. "Roshan!" a panicked voice shouted. "Run! Now!" Roshan stumbled back, as two more humans entered the clearing, eyes wide and full of fear and fury. *Oh crud!* Diego thought, backing away. *I knew it was going to end up this way! Deep down, I knew it!* "It's time now!" shouted one of the humans. "Time to get some food that'll last us ages!" "No!" Diego burst out, fear pulsing through him. These humans weren't nice like the other ones with the cats; these ones were ruthless assassins. *Bobby!* his mind shrieked. *Shira! They're in danger!* The humans started advancing, and Diego turned and ran.

 **Will he make it back in time? Comments/ideas welcome from those who enjoy the story so far.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 **Hope you're enjoying the story so far**

Manny sat outside the herd's cave, watching as Crash and Huck scooped up yet another clump of mud mixed with crushed blackberries, marigold petals, and snail shells, and began loading it into a leaf basket. Around them, other hyraxes, plus Eddie, were doing the same. Then, as three hyraxes lugged a full leaf basket towards the edge of the clearing, Diego burst through the bushes, his eyes wide with terror. "Everyone out!" he shouted. "Get outta here now!" "What is it?" Manny asked. "What's happening?" "Humans!" Diego gasped, struggling for breath; clearly, he'd run for miles. "Coming this way!" "Is it Tacky and the others?" Shira asked, coming out of the cave with Bobby carried on her back. Diego shook his head, and Manny was surprised to see tears welling up in his eyes. "It's Roshan from the stories, and his family," he whispered. "They're here. To hunt us." Shira's eyes widened, and Manny felt a cold chill of fear run through him. Memories of the death of his first family rose to the surface of his mind, but he pushed them down. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the past. "What do we do?" Sid asked nervously. "If they're coming for us, what can we do?" "What prey does best," Ellie murmured. "We run." "Bobby won't be able to keep up," Diego whispered, pressing close to Shira. "Listen, guys, you go, and I'll hold them off." "No way!" Manny snapped. "We're all gonna go, or fight! In a herd, nobody is left behind!" Diego nodded, then glanced around, his ears pricked. "They're coming," he whispered. "They'll be here soon." "Well, let's go!" Manny said. "Come on!" He took the lead, Peaches and Ellie close behind him. Diego grabbed Granny and threw her onto his back, while Sid climbed up on Shira's beside Bobby and Crash and Eddie scampered onto Ellie's back. Then, with a look back at their clearing, they headed off.

Ragnar looked at the ground, nodding. The clearing was covered in footprints, big and small. Saber footprints, mammoth footprints, hyrax, possum and sloth footprints. "Three sabers," he muttered, standing up. "There were only two at that celebration the other night." "Simple," Runar said behind him. "One of them gave birth." Ragnar nodded, thinking this over. "This cub will slow the herd down," he remarked. "We'll catch 'em soon, I tell you." "But why?" Roshan asked for around the thousandth time. "Why do we have to kill them?" "Because," Ragnar growled, barely able to suppress his frustration. "That saber nearly killed you. We need to kill all of this herd so it doesn't happen again." "It didn't come to kill me, though!" Roshan protested. "I'm telling you, it was the one that turned on his pack to help the mammoth and sloth bring me back!" "I'll believe **that** when they tell us!" Ragnar scoffed. "Runar, brother, do **you** believe his nonsense?" Runar looked from Ragnar to Roshan, thinking. "I don't know," he said eventually. Ragnar muttered something under his breath, then turned away. "So, are we going after them or not?" Runar asked. Ragnar nodded. "Let's go!" he snapped, hefting his special mammoth-killing spear. "We'll be feasting tonight!" He ran out of the clearing, Runar and Roshan following behind him.

As the herd raced through the forest, Sid realised they were close to the ditch where he'd met Lucy. *I'd better warn her about the humans,* he thought. *And maybe she can come with us.* He glanced around, found that nobody was watching him, and slid down the side of the ditch, landing in a small puddle at the bottom. "Lucy?" he called. "Lucy, you here?" "No, she's not," a voice said from behind him. "We are." Sid whipped around, gasping as he saw three humans standing behind him. Two held spears, while the third, the younger one, stood back a bit, his eyes wide. "A sloth snack," remarked one of them. "Then, we'll go for the mammoths." Sid's eyes widened as he realised that these were the humans that Diego had run across. He gulped, and took step back. The human who'd spoken before raised the spear, his eyes lighting up, but before he could throw it, a roar echoed through the air. An orange blur shot down the side of the ditch, slamming into the human. "Sid, run!" Diego shouted. "Get out of here!" Sid jumped for the top of the ditch, wrapped his hands around a protruding root, and tried to pull himself out of the ditch. Hands grabbed his feet, and he looked down to see the young human. "No!" Sid cried. "Don't eat me!" A trunk wrapped around Sid's hands, and Manny pulled him out of the human's grasp. "Run!" Ellie cried. "They're coming!" "Diego!" Shira shouted. "Diego, come on!" There was another roar from the ditch, a human shouted, then Diego scrambled out, limping and favouring his right hind leg. "I'm okay," he grunted. "Let's go." The herd continued running, heading towards the hill borders.

Night fell, but the herd continued on. They were heading a different way than the one that they had taken to rescue Louis, towards a low range of forested hills. Ethan had joined them a few minutes after they'd escaped the ditch, saying that he'd decided to stay with the herd for a while, for reasons he didn't mention. Manny kept glancing at him suspiciously, but didn't say anything. It seemed to make Peaches happy, and that was what Manny wanted. As midnight approached, however, the herd stopped in a small valley bordered by a small river. The herd, still on edge, gathered close together and tried to go to sleep. Diego, Shira, and Bobby settled down at one side, gazing up at the sky, partly obscured by clouds. Diego was nearly asleep, when he felt Shira nudge him. "What?" he mumbled, opening his eyes. Shira gazed at him, her crystal-blue eyes reflecting the moonlight. "Diego," she said quietly. "Is your leg okay?" "Yeah, don't worry," Diego replied. "The human just kicked me off it." Shira nodded, then glanced down at Bobby sleeping peacefully beside her. "Diego," she murmured again, and Diego realised that her voice was trembling. "Shira?" he asked, concerned. "What's wrong?" Shira raised her head, her eyes glistening wet with tears. "The humans could have killed you!" she burst out, starting to sob. "Bobby could have grown up without a father! I don't want that to happen to him!" "Hey, Shira," Diego murmured gently, sliding his foreleg around her shoulders. "I promise that's not going to happen. We're going to get away from the humans safely, and find a new home somewhere else." Shira looked up at him, her eyes red and tear-filled. "I heard one of the humans call after us as we ran away," she whimpered, her voice trembling. "It said, 'sabers, you're going to be first.' It doesn't take a genius to work out what-" she started sobbing again- "What that means." Diego hugged his mate, trying to comfort her. "I promise you that we'll survive," he whispered. "No matter what happens, we'll survive." Shira took a deep, shaky breath, nodding. "Diego, I love you," she murmured. "And I'll love you 'till we die." Diego nuzzled her gently, breathing in her sweet scent. Glancing down, he pulled the sleeping Bobby closer to both of them. Shira gazed down at him, then looked back at Diego, her beautiful blue eyes still rimmed with red and glistening with tears. She lowered her head and laid it gently on Bobby, closing her eyes. Diego watched over her as she fell asleep, staying awake so he could watch for danger. However, the excitement and terror of the escape soon wore off, and was replaced with tiredness. Soon, he too was asleep.

"I can't believe we lost them," Runar muttered, lighting the campfire. He, Ragnar and Roshan were still in the ditch, making plans for the next day. "Roshan, son, you had a hold on the sloth, didn't you?" Roshan nodded, but before he could reply, a new voice spoke up. "I saw you were after that herd," it said, and the humans looked up to see a hawk perched on the edge of the ditch. "Yeah, we are," Ragnar said, reaching slowly for his spear. "But what's it to you?" "Before you spear me," the hawk said. "I need to tell you that I could help you find them." Ragnar let go of the spear, staring at the hawk. "You could?" he asked. "How?" "Wings, duh," the hawk said, unfurling them. "I can follow them in the air, and report back to you." "Deal," said Ragnar, and Runar nodded. Roshan looked uncertain, but nodded as well. "The name's Tony, by the way," the hawk added, flapping down into the ditch. "Now, time to make plans. . ."

 **Our enemies appear to be joining up; not good for the herd. Any suggestions of what could happen later on?**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 **Hope this chapter will be enjoyable.**

Louis walked through tall grass stems that loomed high above him, waving in a breeze. It had been a few days since he'd left his home valley, and he was starting to wonder where he was going. "Far away from hawks," he muttered. "That's the only thing. Far, **far** away from hawks." Louis nodded, then froze as something big moved nearby. *Danger!* his mind shouted. *Dig for your life!* Just as he prepared to, however, a light orange blur shot out of the grass and plucked him up in its mouth. Louis screamed, smelling saber all around him. It was bounding through the grasses, but not killing him; it was probably taking him back to its pack before it did so. "I never even got to tell Peaches the truth," Louis murmured sadly, just as the saber came to a violent stop, letting him go. He landed hard on the ground, rolled, and came to a stop against something soft. He closed his eyes, expecting any moment for the saber to kill him. Instead, he heard it. . . laughing? He opened his eyes, and saw a baby saber. "Ohmygosh!" Louis burst out. "I thought I was gonna die!" There was a gust of wind from behind, and he froze. *A saber cub,* he thought. *I'm lying against something soft. Irregular breezes are coming from behind me." Slowly, he turned. There, still asleep, was the hulking, sharp-toothed form of an adult saber-tooth. Next to it, was another one. Fear pulsed through Louis, and he jumped backwards, only to freeze again as a shadow passed over him. Whipping his head up, he saw a hawk circling. If it was coming lower, he wasn't sure; he jumped forwards again, curling up tight against the male adult saber. To his horror, it awoke and stared at him. Louis found himself gazing into two familiar faint-green eyes. *Diego!* he thought. *Then the female must be Shira! And that means. . .* Looking around, he saw the rest of the herd sleeping close by. "Hey, molehog," said Diego. "Don't look so horrified; I'm not going to eat you." "I'm not horrified about you," Louis gasped out, finally finding his voice. "I'm just a little surprised to see you with mammoths, sloths and possums." "Yeah, I expect you would be," Shira's voice said, and Louis looked, seeing her looking at him and Diego through half-closed eyes. She glanced up as the hawk's shadow passed over again. "Don't worry," she said. "It doesn't look like it'll attack. I've seen it pass by for several days; I swear it's following us." "We should get going now," Diego said, getting to his paws. "Those humans are most likely following us." He tapped Manny on the shoulder, and the mammoth awoke. "I agree," he said before Diego could speak. "Let's get going. By the way, who were you speaking to just then?" "That molehog," Diego replied, and Louis stepped into Manny's view. "Bobby apparently brought him back from a hunt." "That's right," said Louis, looking at the little cub. "He did." "Do I know you?" Manny asked, and Louis stiffened. "You remind me of someone, but he's dead; a hawk took him." Louis gulped; he wasn't sure how to respond to that. "What's your name?" Ellie asked, walking up to stand beside Manny. With her was Peaches and, Louis was surprised to see, Ethan. "Lou-" Louis began to say, realised what he was going to say, then said- "Luke. Or Louie. Either one's fine." "That name sounds familiar," said Peaches. "I knew someone with a name like that, but-" She trailed of, closing her eyes. She looked so upset that Louis almost contemplated revealling his true identity. Ethan pressed gently against her, curling his trunk around hers. Crash and Eddie, as well as Sid, his Granny, and Louis turned away, all of them unable to go on watching. "Should we get going now?" Manny asked. "That hawk's still above us; Luke, would you like to come with us?" "Sure," Louis said. "I'll come." Manny nodded, then Ellie scooped Louis up onto her back beside Crash and Eddie. With a final glance up at the hawk, the herd resumed walking.

Manny led the herd away from their resting place, wondering if this would be the day that the humans would finally catch up to them. Above them, the hawk circled once more, then flew back the way it, and the herd, had come. Suddenly, there was the sound of a distant whoop in the distance, ahead of them. Everyone paused, and heard it again, louder this time. "What's that?" Luke asked, and Manny thought again how much he resembled Louis; even his voice was nearly the same. "I don't know," Ellie answered. "But it sounds like someone having fun." As soon as the words left her mouth, a mammoth riding a large hollowed out log came racing over the summit of the hill the herd was climbing. When it saw them, it threw a looped vine over a nearby rock. The vine snapped tight, and the hollowed out log skidded around in a circle before coming to a stop. "Hey, guys!" the mammoth said cheerfully, stepping off the log and walking towards them. "The name's Julian!" Manny looked him up and down. He was large and chubby, with dark, mud-brown fur and blue eyes that sparkled with happiness. "Hey," Ellie greeted him. She gestured back at the rest of the herd and added, "Now, I know this may look strange, but-" "Hey, no big deal!" Julian answered. "I've seen some pretty strange things in my time! I mean, this cool-io log-ride here is something I learned from a human! It's called a bobsled or something." Ellie nodded, though Manny noticed her glance behind them, as if expecting the humans chasing them to appear with spears raised. "Okay, nice to meet you, Julian," he said. "But we have to go now. You see, we used to live in a valley a few days that way-" he gestured over his shoulder- "But then humans arrived, and we have to find a new home." Julian nodded, his expression suddenly serious. "I see," he said. "Humans can be dangerous." He suddenly turned excited again, and asked, "Can I come with you guys!?" "Uh, sure," Manny said, taken aback. "If you really want to." "Oh, I do!" Julian whooped. "I could do with an adventure with company!" "Okay then," said Manny. "Let's go." Julian nodded, then fell in beside Peaches and Ethan as the herd continued on their way.

As the sun reached the highest point in the sky, the herd, plus Julian, who had been introduced to everyone, were journeying through tall trees. There was the scent of salt in the air; they were getting close to the ocean again. Suddenly, and without warning, the trees ended. In their place, was empty air; they were on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the deep blue ocean. The sun glittered on the water, and white-tipped waves crashed gently onto an expanse of white sand. "Oh yeah!" Julian whooped. "Now that looks like great surfing!" "What?" Peaches asked, turning to stare at him. "What is 'surfing'?" "Something that humans do, my friend," Julian answered. "They use flat wooden logs, swim out a little into the ocean, then let the waves carry 'em back to shore. I do it sometimes, when my travels take me to an ocean." Peaches nodded, then exchanged a glance with Ethan. "There's a path over there," said Sid, pointing. "We could take it down to the shore." "For once, my grandson has a good idea!" said Granny from Diego's back. "And that's saying something!" Julian looked at Peaches, mouthing, "Is she always like that?" Peaches answered with a nod. "Come on," said Manny. "Let's get going." He led them down the path, and soon they were spread out along the beach, enjoying the cool air blowing from the ocean. Little did they know, they were already being watched from the cliff-tops. . .

 **But who are the watchers? Friends, or foes?**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 **Enjoy this chapter.**

Up on the cliff, Tony glowered down at the seashore. "There they are," he grumbled. "My food, and his friends." Beside him, Ragnar, Runar and Roshan nodded in agreement, while behind them, Zeke, Oscar, Lenny and new pack member Samson, growled in silent anger as they thought of their revenge. "When do we attack?" Samson asked, not liking this at all. "Now, or later?" He hoped it was later; he never liked battles, and now, looking down at the beautiful white saber on the beach, he was hoping that they would get a chance to escape. *Warn them!* part of his mind said. *Betray your pack like they said Diego did!* "Sunset," Ragnar replied. "No later than that." Samson nodded, relieved; he had plenty of time to warn them. "Meanwhile," said Tony. "Rest, but don't eat; we have to have room for dinner." Samson shuddered, knowing that Zeke, Oscar and Lenny would have a share of the animals, **even** the three sabers down below. He hated that his pack were cannibals, but if they knew he did hate it, they would cannibalise **him.** With a final glance down at the beach, he slunk into a clump of bushes, waiting for the others to look away so he could go warn the herd.

Diego stood at the water's edge, looking at the white-tipped water stretching to the horizon. Shira was in the shallows, playing with Bobby. "Lovely day," he sighed. "Blue sky, blue sea, no-" "Enemies!" a voice suddenly interrupted, saying exactly what Diego had been about to say. "Enemies coming!" Diego whipped around and saw an unfamiliar saber running towards them, eyes wide. "Shira, get Bobby and yourself back!" Diego ordered, crouching down in a battle-stance, eyes narrowed. "I'll deal with him!" "Wait!" the saber called, skidding to a halt in a spray of sand. "I'm not an enemy! I've come to **warn** you about enemies!" "Diego, back down," Manny ordered. "He's telling the truth. Look up on the cliff." Diego looked, and saw figures looking down. Three were the humans from the other days, three more were sabers, and one looked like a bird of prey, a hawk or falcon. "Great!" Manny cursed. "They've found us, and have reinforcements!" "Not only that," Diego murmured. "But I'm pretty sure they're my old pack. I'm not sure; they just look familiar." "They are!" the new arrival shouted, running up. Diego turned to growl at him, but stopped as he saw the very real fear in his eyes. "They are your pack, Diego!" "How do you know my name?" Diego asked, both anger and fear in his voice; the only reason this new saber would know it would be because his pack was telling stories about his betrayal, ready to get their revenge. "They've been planning their revenge!" the saber said, making Diego's suspicious a reality. "They plan to **eat** you!" Diego's eyes widened, and he felt fear close around his heart. "No," he whispered. "They can't. They can't still be doing that!" "Diego?" Shira asked, coming up to him. "Diego, what's wrong?" "They're gonna eat us," Diego whispered. "My old pack. They want to eat us." Shira's eyes widened. "Eat us!?" she gasped. "But, that's cannibalism!" "I know," Diego whispered. "But that's what my pack does. It's been going on for as long as I can remember; if a pack member is too weak, the rest of them kill that pack member and eat it. I hated it, but if I'd have said that, I would have been eaten." "Well, let's get out of here!" Manny said. "And hurry!" "Too late!" Julian called. "They're coming!" His words were followed by the screech of a hawk. "Oh no!" Luke muttered, from where he was sitting on Peaches's back. "Not again!" "Again?" Peaches asked, then leaped to the side as the hawk swooped past, talons extended. "He's mine!" it screeched, coming in for a counter-attack. Peaches swung her trunk, and slammed it into the hawk, sending it flying into the water. "Your kind won't take another friend of mine!" she cried. "You monsters!" "Here they come!" Sid called, pointing. Sure enough, the humans and sabers were scrambling down a path, heading right for them. "Let's fight!" Manny ordered. "Let's show them what happens when they try to take us on!" "Oh yeah!" Julian whooped. "I enjoy good scraps!" "This is more than a 'scrap'!" Ethan snapped. "This is a matter of life and death!" "Get them!" one of the humans suddenly shouted, and Diego crouched down protectively in front of Shira and Bobby, determined to protect them. There was another shriek from the hawk, who was now circling again, its feathers sticking up at all angles. "The molehog is mine!" it cried, swooping down towards Peaches and Luke again. This time, Luke dived off Peaches's head and burrowed into the sand. "Diego, watch out!" Shira gasped, and he looked back, just in time for Lenny, the bulkiest saber in the pack, to slam into him. Diego was flipped over onto his back, just as a wave slammed into them both. Salt water flooded into Diego's mouth, and his vision went blurry. "Diego, I'm sorry!" Lenny shouted over the roar of the waves. "But it's time for you to-" His words were cut off by a shout of, "Sea monster!" Diego glanced around, and saw Precious looming up out of the water. "Precious!" Granny cried. "Precious, over here!" Lenny gave a gasp, then jumped off Diego and ran. **"LENNY!"** one of the humans roared, hefting a spear. **"LENNY, GET BACK HERE, YOU DESERTER!"** Lenny didn't stop, and to Diego's horror, the human hurled the spear. With a cry of pain, Lenny collapsed, the spear hitting his shoulder and sinking in deep. "Incoming!" Julian cried. "Humans, look out!" Diego turned, just in time to see Precious hurl herself right out of the water. A jet of water shot out of her blowhole, slamming into the hawk and throwing it all the way up the sand to the cliff. The next jets hit the three humans, and the final one hit Zeke, who was advancing on Ethan, and Oscar, who was circling Sid. The enemies ended up in a pile, soaking wet and stunned. "Run!" Manny shouted. "Let's get out of here!" Without a word, the herd started running, heading down the beach away from the battleground.

Louis couldn't believe it. Peaches, despite knowing him as 'Luke,' had called him a friend. A friend. Despite only knowing him a day. "A friend," he sighed, lying back and gazing up at the sky. "She likes me as a friend." " What was that?" Peaches asked, and Louis jumped; he didn't realise she was behind him. "Oh, nothing!" he said quickly. "Just, talking to myself!" Peaches nodded, then wrapped her trunk around him and lifted him onto her back. "Sleep here," she said. "It's more comfortable than-" her words trailed off into a gasp, and Louis looked up. He gasped as well. There, shimmering and glittering in the sky and reflected in the ocean, was a brilliant red and green aurora. "Beautiful," Manny whispered nearby. "Utterly beautiful." The rest of the herd nodded in agreement. Watching this, Louis found himself wanting to confess his love for Peaches. *But,* a voice in his mind said. *She thinks of you as 'Luke.' First, you need to reveal that you're alive.* Louis gulped; he'd never thought of actually doing it. "Well, there's no time like the present," he muttered, leaping down onto a rock in front of Peaches. "Guys, I need to tell you something!" he called, and the herd's attention switched from the aurora to him. "What is it, Luke?" Ellie asked. "What's on your mind?" "My name isn't Luke," Louis replied. "It's Louis. The Louis that you saw being carried away by the hawk, Peaches." Peaches stared at him, her eyes widening and reflecting the aurora above. She let out a shriek of pure delight, then her legs gave way and she crumpled to the ground in a faint.

 **Like this chapter? Don't like this chapter? Review and tell me.**


End file.
